“The second round was generally well managed at all levels by the election administration, including on election day, and minor procedural shortcomings did not negatively affect the elections. However, misuse of administrative resources marred the campaign and campaign finance reporting and oversight remains to be improved. Attempts by third parties to interfere with the elections and disinformation tactics, which continued during the second round, remain a serious concern,” Dritan Taulla, Head of the International Election Observation Mission (IEOM) of ENEMO for the 2023 Local Elections in Moldova, stated at a press conference at IPN, held to present the Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions for the Second Round of Local Elections.

Nino Rizhamadze, Election and Legal Analyst of the IEOM of ENEMO, said the legislation, the Electoral Code establishes consistent and mostly unambiguous provisions for nearly all phases of mayoral runoffs as well as repeat voting. “Many shortcomings of the legal framework regarding the conducts of the second round of elections were addressed and clarified in the new Electoral Code, addressing some of ENEMO’s previous recommendations. As already stated in the Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions for the first round, ENEMO assesses that the legal framework provides conditions for holding elections in line with international commitments and standards,” noted the analyst.

According to the analyst, the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) performed within its designated mandate, demonstrating a collegial and transparent approach. Despite challenges faced, such as limited human resources, strict deadlines and high number of complaints, requests and notifications, the CEC managed that process generally with professionalism and transparency.

“ENEMO notes that timely legal remedy is a cornerstone of resolving electoral disputes according to international standards. Some cases regarding candidate registration were pending on election day or were filed even after the first round of voting. Delays in the process of such appeals can undermine the integrity of the election dispute resolution process,” concluded Nino Rizhamadze.

Ales Jakubec, IEOM Political Analyst, said that trends related to the deregistration of candidates continued in the second round “While ENEMO acknowledges the revocation of candidate registration based on serious irregularities in campaign finance reporting, the possible cases of deregistration based on ineligibility to stand for elections and discrepancies in the supporting signatures list should have been adjusted right after the candidate registration period within the prescribed deadlines. ENEMO deems that the ongoing dispute resolution cases created uncertainty among the contestants and possibly voters,” stated the analyst.

According to him, the election campaign for the second round was low-key and subdued. As reported during the first round, ENEMO observers were informed of allegations of vote buying, misuse of public resources and workplace-related pressure on voters. The Government of Moldova continued to use financial incentives in the campaign, which is at odd with international good practice. Third-party campaigning and interference continued to be a serious concern.

“ENEMO is concerned that many electoral contestants did not properly follow the campaign finance rules and principles which, together with the late publication of the CEC campaign finances oversight reports, limited overall transparency of campaign finance. Additionally, seemingly due to insufficient capacities and the financial reporting system not integrated with other systems, the CEC oversight seems rather superficial at this stage of the process. Contestants also did not respect the CEC decisions to correct the shortcomings within the provided deadline and the only sanctions applied by the CEC were belated warnings. ENEMO deems that in case of repeated violations and non-respected deadlines, the CEC could have considered applying more dissuasive sanctions,” stated Ales Jakubec.

Maja Milikic, IEOM Media Analyst, said the media landscape in Moldova remains a complex interplay of diverse outlets, including those of public interest, investigative journalism and human rights advocacy, alongside politically-controlled and business-oriented media. “Media outlets faced obstacles in maintaining fair coverage of candidates given issues such as non-cooperation and lack of robust fact-checking.  A noteworthy trend emerged as some candidates abstained from debates, influencing public discourse and potentially leading to a less informed electorate. This decision seems to have been driven by strategic considerations, concerns about debate platform impartiality or broader political calculations. Candidates often opted for alternative communication avenues, such as social media, public appearances or outreach, bypassing traditional debates.

“ENEMO notes that the Audiovisual Council continued to operate with efficiency, transparency and timeliness during the second round of elections, ensuring robust oversight in monitoring media activities. The second round was subject to a surge of hate speech on various social media platforms, illustrating instances when inflammatory language by politicians contributed to a heightened atmosphere of hostility. The shift to Telegram due to changes in Facebook policy raises concerns about the potential impact of manipulative information and the significant influence of TikTok, particularly among the younger demographic, underscores its role in shaping media trends and contributing to information dissemination,” stated Maja Milikic.

The Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions is based on ENEMO’s finding at national level and in regions observed during October 6 – November 19, 2023. The Mission will remain in the country to monitor the post-electoral developments and will issue a final report within 60 days of the validation of results.

The IEOM of ENEMO for the 2023 Local Elections in Moldova is financially supported by the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the Soros Foundation Moldova. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of ENEMO and do not necessarily reflect the views of the donors.

Note: IPN News Agency offers the right of reply to persons who consider they were touched by the news items produced based on statements made by the organizers of the given news conference, including by facilitating the organization of another news conference in similar conditions.