The second round of the 2024 Presidential election was conducted in an efficient and predominantly transparent manner. Candidates were granted the opportunity to campaign freely; however, the overall tone of the campaign became generally more negative. These are the conclusions reached by the International Election Observation Mission (EOM) of ENEMO after the presidential elections in the Republic of Moldova. The experts pointed out that while acknowledging the efforts made by authorities to counter voter corruption, malign foreign influence, and illicit campaign financing, there is a need for a more structured approach to combat these phenomena and mitigate their negative long-term consequences, Dritan Taulla, Head of the International Election Observation Mission of ENEMO for the 2024 Presidential Elections and Constitutional Referendum in Moldova, stated in a press conference held at IPN.
According to Elidon Lamani, Election Analyst of the EOM of ENEMO, Election Day was generally calm and well managed, though it was affected by recurring instances of potential voter corruption tactics, including organized voter transportation and voters taking photos of their ballots. The performance of PEBs and DECs was positively assessed in most of the observed cases, with minor procedural issues, which did not significantly affect the voting process.
Lamani added that coordinated cyber attacks to the connectivity infrastructure of the national voter registration systems and reported bomb threats at some polling stations abroad, aimed at disrupting the voting process, were timely and efficiently addressed by the authorities. Positively and in line with previous ENEMO recommendations, legal amendments adopted since the 2020 Presidential Elections addressed some gaps regarding the regulation of the second round, enhancing legal certainty.
Elidon Lamani noted that the CEC maintained transparency by live-streaming sessions, posting recordings, publishing agendas in advance, and promptly posting decisions online; it also provided real-time voter turnout and preliminary results. However, the minutes of the sessions were delayed, and not all documents that the CEC received were published on its website, affecting transparency.
Momcilo Radulovic, Political and Campaign Analyst of the EOM, stated that the presidential candidates were able to campaign freely. The election campaign remained calm and low-key overall, similar to the first round. While minor legal violations were reported, they were generally addressed by law enforcement and other relevant institutions. However, the campaigning tone during the second round became more negative. Xenophobic remarks observed at the beginning of the campaign against one of the candidates, although swiftly denounced by the other contestant, are concerning.
Mariam Chubabria, Political and Campaign Analyst of the EOM, said that although the Audiovisual Council faces challenges in terms of staffing and financial means for adequate staff remuneration, ENEMO assesses that its activity, continued to provide a solid foundation for balancing the audiovisual media scene and helped maintain a relatively even playing field in the audiovisual media during the electoral campaign.
The EOM will continue to follow the electoral process, including tabulation of results, resolution of existing and future potential complaints, the validation of results by the Constitutional Court, as well as other post-election developments. A final report, including a full assessment, which will depend in part on the conduct of the remaining stages of the election process, as well as recommendations for potential improvements, will be issued within two months from the certification of results.
ENEMO’s International Election Observation Mission for the 2024 Presidential Elections and Constitutional Referendum in Moldova is financially supported by the National Democratic Institute (NDI); the Kingdom of the Netherlands; and the Soros Foundation in Moldova. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of ENEMO and do not necessarily reflect the views of the donors.
