Members of the initiative for transparent elections “Clean Presidential Elections” said dozens of persons used the initiative’s hotline between the two rounds of presidential elections and during the November 13 runoff. The callers inquired where they can vote and what documents they need. Some of these reported violations. The hotline to provide legal aid was launched by the Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Corruption (CAPC), the Journalistic Investigations Center (CIJ) and the paper “Ziarul de Garda”.
In a news conference at IPN, CAPC president Galina Bostan said 73 persons called the hotline between the two rounds of presidential elections. These mainly asked where they can vote and how they can obtain a certificate to vote in a settlement where they do not have permanent residence. Some asked how they can vote if the period of validity of their identity card expired. “We were also impressed by the people’s wish to contribute to making the electoral rolls accurate,” she stated.
The callers also informed about the absence of electoral bureau members in the pre-election period due to which they could not obtain certificates to vote elsewhere. At least six cases of the kind were reported to the hotline. A caller expressed his indignation at the fact that no polling place was established in Russia’s Krasnodar, where there are many Moldovans. A woman said her grandson, who is a student, cannot vote as he has to pay 200 lei to travel home to vote there.
Galina Bostan also said that 30 persons used the hotline on November 13. A woman from Ocnita said three more persons were registered at her address, but in the first round of elections these weren’t there. Another caller informed that the voters in Sanatauca, Floresti, were brought in an organized way from the Transnistria region, while a man asked where he can collect the money to which he is entitled because he voted.
Cornelia Cozonac, director of the Journalistic Investigations Center, said the hampering of access to information was the biggest problem in the election campaign. Thus, investigative journalists could not obtain information about signatories on subscription lists and donors for parties from the Central Election Commission. Cornelia Cozonac noted that together with her colleagues, she launched a series of investigations that got stuck because the CEC classed the asked information as personal even if the CIJ signed an own responsibility statement whereby it promised not to reveal such information.
Cornelia Cozonac said the Journalistic Investigations Center will sue CEC because this hampered the access to information.