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Chisinau, Moldova - This Sunday, the people of Gagauz-Yeri Autonomy, a region of Moldova, will go to the polls to elect their bashkan, or governor. The Eurasia Foundation in Moldova (EFM) is supporting grass-roots efforts to make this Sunday's elections open and transparent. EFM expects these efforts will play a major role in ensuring the tally accurately represents voters' informed and deliberate choice. A brief description of EFM's NGO partners activities, made possible by the generous support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), USAID and the National Endowment for Democracy, follows:League for the Defense of Human Rights in the Republic of Moldova will conduct a domestic non-partisan observation campaign to promote open and transparent elections. LADOM will identify and train four long-term election observers and 160 short-term observers to conduct systematic monitoring of different aspects of the campaign and conduct on Election Day, including vote tabulation. The project will increase transparency during the elections and increase voter awareness.

Association of Independent Press will inform the public about media behavior during the elections, reporting on cases of infringements on press freedom. API will train thirteen media monitors using a system developed by experts from the UK and adapted to local needs. These media monitors will analyze the content of election-related information on three TV stations, four radio stations and in five newspapers. Reports analyzing the results will inform state institutions, international organizations, election observers, the media and NGOs. The project will stimulate balanced and professional coverage of the elections.Association for Participatory Democracy ADEPT will ensure that voters and election officials have the necessary understanding and capacity to participate in the election. ADEPT will produce and disseminate education materials explaining voting procedures and the importance of the election. ADEPT will also train election officials in a series of seminars. To inform the broader public and other stakeholders, ADEPT will post analysis of the election on a new, dedicated website: www.alegeri.md.