During the October 20 presidential election and constitutional referendum, Promo-LEX’s Observation Mission counted 778 incidents in the electoral process. The breach of voting secrecy was the most frequent violation. The photographing of ballots was reported in 175 cases, this being the main irregularity observed in polling stations, IPN reports.
The irregularities also included the unjustified presence of unauthorized persons (51 cases), campaigning or black PR (30 cases) and faults in the functioning of the automated system “Elections” (45 cases).
In 237 polling stations, there was no wheelchair access for people with locomotor difficulties. As many as 346 stations were not heated and this posed risks the health of the staff of electoral offices, which had to spend more than 24 hours in a cold room, Promo-Lex noted.
The observers also identified 51 situations in which unauthorized persons were unjustifiably present in or near the polling station. The state automated system “Elections” worked defectively in 45 cases. Furthermore, there were reported 36 cases of the presence of advertising materials within the radius of the polling station and 31 cases in which the ballot boxes were not properly sealed. There were detected 61 cases when two or more people entered the voting booth simultaneously. The series of incidents also included campaigning (30 cases), rewards offered to voters (17 cases), refusal to issue the vote reports (7 cases), violence or intimidation of voters (10 cases). In 98 cases, attempts were made to film electoral operations regarding the opening of the polling station or ballot counting procedures.
The conclusions in Promo Lex’s report were formulated by short-term observers who monitored the election at 614 polling stations in the Republic of Moldova, including 91 observers abroad and mobile teams in uncovered areas. Static observers were assigned to all the 30 polling stations intended for voters from the Transnistrian region.
When presenting the preliminary report, Promo-LEX programs director Nicolae Panfil underlined the considerable efforts made by the team of observers to ensure the correct monitoring of the electoral process, stressing that the identified violations reflect general trends, without being universally applicable. The detailed monitoring results will be updated when all data is processed.
"We provide these data for a general, informative purpose. Surely, the situation wasn’t the same everywhere, but I think they can tell us about a trend and confirm a problem of which we were notified on election day,” stated Nicolae Panfil.
The Promo-LEX Association monitored the election in order to ensure a transparent and fair electoral process. It dispatched a significant number of observers to polling stations in the country and abroad.
