The international observation mission of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) ascertained that the presidential runoff elections in Moldova, despite particular shortcomings, were transparent and free. According to the observers, the Moldovans could freely make their choice. The report with observations on the November 13 runoff was presented in a news conference on November 14, IPN reports.

Alexey Sergeev, secretary general of the Council of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly, said the observers appreciated again the communication with the Central Election Commission and electoral bureaus.

The CIS observers said the runoff vote was held in the same conditions as the first round of presidential elections, noting that the CEC, between the two rounds of voting, took positive decisions, with the decision to increase the number of ballots for one polling place being the most important one. Additional ballots were distributed to polling places abroad and to those intended for Transnistrian voters. “We consider that the CEC acted professionally in the runoff too,” stated Alexey Sergeev.

The CIS observers established that the election campaign was more active, but also harsher. The candidates gave up having meetings with people and used more the social networking sites. “We also followed attentively the debates and ascertained that these weren’t always constructive, while the subjects discussed at different channels were practically the same,” said Alexey Sergeev.

The observers noted that the witnessed drawbacks cannot inference the election outcome. The main conclusion of the CIS observers is that the presidential runoff was held in accordance with the Constitution and the Election Code.