The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened an election observation mission for the 11 July early parliamentary elections in Moldova, following an invitation from the national authorities. The mission is led by Tamas Meszerics and consists of a core team of 11 experts based in Chisinau and 28 long-term observers, who will be deployed throughout the country from 10 June. In addition, ODIHR is planning to request 200 short-term observers from OSCE countries, to arrive several days before election day, IPN reports.

In a news conference, Tamás Meszerics said the mission’s most important role is not to intervene in the internal affairs, which is a very strict mission for the OSCE and ODIHR. “We only oversee the elections and do not carry out police activities for elections. All our activities are based on impartiality, professionalism and independence. We work based on objectivity and full transparency as regards the election results and election monitoring process,” stated Tamás Meszerics.

The mission will assess the early parliamentary elections for their compliance with OSCE commitments and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections, as well as with national legislation.

Observers will closely monitor all aspects of the election, including pre- and post-election developments. Specific areas of focus include the implementation of changes to the legal framework, candidate registration, and campaign activities, as well as election dispute resolution and media coverage. They will also assess the implementation of previous ODIHR election recommendations.

On election day, the ODIHR mission will join efforts with delegations from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to observe the opening of polling stations, voting, the counting of ballots and the tabulation of results.

An interim report will be published to update the public and the media on the observation mission’s activities. The day after the election, the mission’s preliminary findings will be presented at a press conference. ODIHR will publish a final report on the observation approximately eight weeks after the end of the electoral process.