A guidebook for identifying cases of voter corruption that included a model for informing the authorities about cases of voter corruption was launched to help the citizens who oppose vote buying, IPN reports.

In a press club meeting staged by the Journalistic Investigations Center, Stela Pavlov, expert of the Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Corruption, said the previous elections showed that the voter corruption actions are rather often in the country, the voters being lured with money, favors or different services.

“Criminal liability for acts to corrupt the voters was introduced in response to these nondemocratic practices that alter the free character of elections and in order to harmonize the national legislation with the international standards in the field. This offense component was included in the Penal Code in 2011, but the analysis of statistics reported by the law enforcement agencies and judiciary practice show there are no cases started for voter corruption that would end with conviction,” stated Stela Pavlov.

The guidebook was devised within the Strategic Litigation for Ensuring Integrity of Elected Officials Project that is implemented by the Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Corruption with financial support from the Soros Foundation Moldova. This is available on the Center’s website, in the Publications division.

Under the Penal Code of the Republic of Moldova, voter corruption is offering or giving of money, goods, services and other benefits for making people vote or not vote in parliamentary, presidential or local elections or in referendums. The offense is punished with a fine of 27,500 to 42,500 or up to five years in jail. The punishment for legal entities is a fine of 200,000 to 300,000 lei and ban on carrying out particular activities or liquidation of the legal entity.