Moldovan elections met many international standards, but further improvements are required: foreign observers

The April 5 parliamentary elections in Moldova met many international standards and commitments, but further improvements are required to ensure an electoral process free from undue administrative interference and to increase public confidence, the International Election Observation Mission said in a statement, on Monday, April 6, at a news conference, Info-Prim Neo reports. The international observers say the Election day was well-organized and passed calmly and peacefully, with no major incidents reported. The voting and counting process was assessed positively by the observers, despite a number of significant procedural shortcomings. “I am delighted with the progress of democracy in Moldova. These elections were very good and they gave me great confidence in the future of this country,” said Petros Efthymiou, head of the delegation of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and Special Co-ordinator of the OSCE short-term observers. “The people of Moldova are to be congratulated on a relaxed, mainly well-run and democratic polling day. Now the new parliament needs to make the necessary improvements to Moldova’s legal framework and electoral code,” said David Wilshire, head of the delegation of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly. “We noted real improvements in comparison with the 2005 parliamentary elections. However, further efforts must be made, in particular with regard to the position of the public broadcasting organization”, said Marianne Mikko, head of the delegation of the European Parliament. “Our overall assessment of this election is positive, but there is a need to inject more trust in the electoral environment, including through unbiased news reporting by the public broadcaster, improving voter registration procedures, and ensuring that contestants are treated equally by the authorities,” said Nikolai Vulchanov, head of the long-term election observation mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). At the same time, the International Election Observation Mission asks the Moldovan authorities to later create better voting conditions for citizens from abroad, who largely contribute to improve the economic situation from the country. Among the drawbacks to be solved, the observers point to the Regulation of the Central Election Commission on the media coverage of the elections, which contains restrictions running against principles of free speech and access to informations, guaranteed by the Constitution.