The February 24 parliamentary elections took place in conditions of state capture, when most of the relevant public institutions demonstrated political fidelity to the ruling party, often neglecting legal rigor, Transparency International – Moldova notes in a press release that is quoted by IPN.
TI – Moldova expresses its deep concern about the spread of political corruption in the Republic of Moldova and the superficiality with which some institutions have monitored the parliamentary elections of February 24, 2019, not taking into account the context of the elections and coming out with hasty conclusions about their results.
“By ignoring the specific aggravating context of these elections, the underestimation of the violations and frauds identified on the day of parliamentary elections is extremely dangerous and could undermine the democratic future of the Republic of Moldova, turning it into a polygon of harmful experiments that could be exported, affecting the democracy and security in the region,” runs the press release.
Transparency International – Moldova notes the specific aggravating context of these elections includes the laundering around $ 22 billion through the corrupt judicial system and committing the $ 1 billion fraud from the banking system, multiple legislative initiatives to legalize money with fraudulent provenience, modifying the electoral system, despite the recommendations of the Venice Commission, by holding elections in a single round without a minimum threshold; by reducing the duration of the election campaign to one month, hindering genuine monitoring by society, massive persecution of political opponents, local leaders, civic activists through law enforcement institutions and controlled media, etc.
On the election day, multiple violations were identified, particularly voters’ corruption, mass transportation of voters from Transnistria and their compulsion to vote for a specific candidate for payment, impeding the Diaspora vote based on expired passports or contest this limitation of the right to vote, applying carousel schemes, signing the minutes concluding the electoral results prior to the closure of polling stations, presence in lists of voters of deceased persons.
