Informal financing of political parties remains a widespread practice, and Moldova is one of the most exposed countries in the region to external influence in an electoral context. This is one of the findings of the study conducted by the ADEPT Association, reports IPN.

“The aim of the research was to identify the factors that weaken the democratic and informational system in Moldova, and the analysis was conducted on five major blocks, which encompass all the areas that can be affected,” explained Petru Culeac, a member of Adept and one of the authors of the study.

The study “Mapping the premises and incentives of FIMI in the electoral context in the Republic of Moldova” has elucidated that the transparency of legislation regarding party financing remains limited, and the control authorities, such as the Central Electoral Commission and the National Integrity Agency, do not have sufficient tools to verify the origin of the declared funds. Many resources are masked through small donations, foundations or public associations.

“I thought we knew and had seen it all, but in 2023 came innovations in electoral corruption, through the introduction of new technologies,” commented the director of ADEPT, Igor Botan.

According to the study, some political formations have been identified with indirect external sources of funding, concealed through NGOs, advertising contracts, or repeated donations from the same donors in the regional business environment, especially in the south and north of the country.

The report also mentions that only 20% of the monitored media institutions adhere to the standards of editorial balance during the election period.

The authors of the study recommend modernizing the legal framework regarding the control of party financing, real-time publication of electoral donations, as well as interconnecting tax databases to verify financial sources.