The Diaspora is less willing to vote in parliamentary elections than in presidential elections. Their low turnout could turn things upside down, Björn Söder, chairman of the OSCE NATO Parliamentary Committee in the Swedish Parliament, told in an interview for IPN.
The Swedish official believes that this group of voters needs encouragement to participate in this year’s elections in Moldova.
The diaspora is the priority group to focus on, says Björn Söder. Voters need to trust the electoral system and believe that their vote counts.
“We also see in other countries that people are not so enthusiastic about going to the polls because they don’t believe that their vote will make a difference. It is essential to maintain the feeling of the importance of voting,” said the Swedish MEP.
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Björn Söder emphasized the importance of maintaining a constant dialogue with the citizens of the country, encouraging the government to talk to people in all parts of the country, not just Chisinau.
“If representatives of EU countries came to Moldova to communicate more clearly the concrete benefits of European support to change lives for the better, it would be a good way for people to understand that European integration is the right way forward,” added Björn Söder.
However, the Chairman of the OSCE NATO Parliamentary Committee in the Swedish Parliament noted that the decision to move closer to the EU must be Moldova’s own and no one from the EU member states, nor from Russia, can dictate what they should do. But the citizens’ decision must be based on correct information and it is the responsibility of the authorities to ensure this.