The election observation mission of the Promo-LEX Association recorded 1,064 incidents during the second round of the presidential election, of which 103 were confirmed by 10:00 p.m. Of the 614 monitored polling stations, only one did not close at 09:00 p.m. The general atmosphere was assessed as positive by 99.5 percent of observers, IPN reports.
In addition to procedural violations, new cases were also documented. At the polling station in Bilicenii Vechi, a voter with mental disabilities, accompanied by a guardian, hid the ballot in his pocket after voting. Upon returning home, the guardian discovered the ballot and returned to the polling station. The head of the electoral bureau allowed the voter to insert his ballot into the ballot box, and the police were called for documentation.
Promo-LEX reported incidents related to the violation of electoral legislation, including the presence of electoral advertising materials near polling stations. Two cases of political campaigning to polling stations on election day were detected. Observers recorded three cases of unjustified presence of people inside the polling station, affecting the transparency of the electoral process.
As for the secrecy of the vote, 46 cases were found in which voters photographed the ballot paper or displayed it. Also, two cases of unjustified group voting, which runs counter to the principle of secret and freely expressed vote, were reported.
Promo-LEX also reported an incident of obstruction of observers, which affected their capacity to monitor the conduct of the election. In addition, one incident was related to influencing of the vote, with rumors about material rewards offered to voters.
There were also reported three cases of organized transportation of voters and also four incidents of intimidation or acts of violence, raising questions about the fairness of the election. "Intimidation can significantly affect the participants in the electoral process," the observer mission’s report states.
Regarding the logistical part of organizing the voting, there were three cases in which the ballot boxes were not sealed according to legal procedures, seven cases of interruption of the filming of electoral operations and two cases of unjustified suspension of voting.
Also, there were faults in the functioning of the Elections information system and problems with the electoral lists. Promo-LEX reaffirms the need for continuous monitoring of the electoral process to ensure compliance with the legislation and the integrity of elections.
