The second round of the presidential elections was largely transparent, the candidates had the opportunity to campaign freely, but the general tone of the campaign became negative. These are the conclusions reached by the International Election Observation Mission (EOM) of ENEMO after the presidential elections in the Republic of Moldova. The experts point out that while the authorities have made efforts to combat voter corruption, in the context of foreign influence and illicit campaign financing, a structured approach was needed to combat these phenomena and mitigate the long-term negative consequences, Dritan Taulla, Head of the International Election Observation Mission of ENEMO for the 2024 Presidential Elections and Constitutional Referendum in Moldova, state in a news conference hosted by IPN.
According to Elidon Lamani, Election Analyst of the EOM of ENEMO, election day was generally calm and well-organized, even though it was marred by recurring cases of potential voter corruption tactics, including organized transportation of voters and photographing of ballots by voters. The performance of district electoral councils and electoral bureaus was assessed positively in most cases, with minor procedural problems that did not significantly affect the voting process.
Lamani added that coordinated cyberattacks on the connectivity infrastructure of national voter registration systems and bomb threats, reported at some polling stations abroad, aimed at disrupting the voting process, were addressed in a timely and efficient manner by the authorities. At the same time, legal certainty was improved based on previous recommendations of ENEMO
Elidon Lamani noted that the CEC maintained transparency by broadcasting live meetings, posting recordings, publishing the agenda in time and promptly publishing decisions online, transmitted in real time the voter turnout and preliminary results. However, the minutes of the meetings were published late and not all documents received by the CEC were published on the official website, which affected transparency.
Momcilo Radulovic, Political and Campaign Analyst of the EOM, found that the presidential candidates were able to conduct their campaign freely. The electoral campaign, in general, remained calm and discreet, just like in the first round. Although minor violations of the law have been reported, they have mostly been addressed by law enforcement and other relevant institutions. However, the tone of the campaign during the second round became more negative. The xenophobic remarks observed at the beginning of the campaign against one of the candidates, although promptly condemned by the other contestant, are worrying.
Mariam Chubabria, Political and Campaign Analyst of the EOM, added that although the Audiovisual Council faces challenges in terms of staff and financial means for the adequate remuneration of staff, ENEMO appreciates that the institution provided a solid basis for balancing the audiovisual media scene and contributed to maintaining a relatively level playing field in the media, in the electoral campaign.
The EOM will continue to follow the electoral process, including the centralization of results, the resolution of existing and potential challenges, the validation of results by the Constitutional Court, as well as other post-electoral developments. Within two months of the validation of the results, a final report will be issued, which will include a full assessment that will depend on the conduct of the remaining stages of the electoral process, as well as recommendations for further improvements.
ENEMO’s International Election Observation Mission for the 2024 Presidential Elections and Constitutional Referendum in Moldova is financially supported by the National Democratic Institute (NDI); the Kingdom of the Netherlands; and the Soros Foundation in Moldova. The contents of this report are the sole responsibility of ENEMO and do not necessarily reflect the views of the donors.
