The Central Election Commission (CEC) warns the elections runners about the necessity of obeying the legal provisions concerning the use of administrative resources in electoral campaigning. Thus, Article 52 of the Election Code stipulates that public goods and means (administrative resources) cannot be used in election campaigns, while the public authorities/ institutions and those associated with these cannot transmit/provide public goods or other favors to electoral competitors if only on a contract basis, in equal conditions for all the contenders, IPN reports, with reference to a press release of the CEC.
“We draw attention to the fact that under the Contravention Code, if cases of illegal use of administrative resources (public property), including the favoring or authorization of the illegal use of administrative resources (public property) are identified in electing campaigns, if these do not represent an offense they are punished with a fine of 4,500 to 12,000 lei in the case of persons holding responsible posts and with ban on holding particular posts or performing particular activities for a period of up to a year,” it is said in the press release.
At the same time, for the same deeds accompanied by causing of serious damage, the Penal Code stipulates a fine of 200,000 to 300,000 lei or up to three years in jail, in both of the cases with ban on holding particular posts or performing particular activities for a period of two to five years.
The CEC reminds that new local mayoral elections will be held on May 20, 2018 in seven localities, namely: Chisinau municipality; Balti municipality; Leuseni commune and Nemteni village of Hancesti district; Volovita commune of Soroca district; Jora de Mijloc commune of Orhei district, and Parlita commune of Ungheni district.
According to the last monitoring report on the new local elections presented by the Observation Mission of Promo-LEX Association, election runners use administrative resources when campaigning. The observers of Promo-LEX reported at least 25 situations that can be described as use of administrative resources. Meetings with voters were organized inside kindergartens, medical institutions and state enterprises during working hours. Another case of use of administrative resources was the involvement of President Igor Dodon in agitation for the Party of Socialists’ candidate for mayor Ion Ceban. This can be also described as electoral campaigning with the use of the image of public authorities.
