The promises made by the candidates running for president are often ambiguous and unfeasible, finds a report by the Moldovan Legal Resource Center (CRJM), whose experts studied the election manifestos from a human rights and rule of law perspective.
The report notes that 7 of the 11 candidates did present concrete and quantifiable measures pertaining to human rights and the rule of law. However, their share averages only about a third of the total measures proposed, and “in many cases, the promises made by the candidates are unrealistic and outside the president’s subject-matter jurisdiction”, CRJM expert Carolina Bagrin told a press conference on Wednesday.
The promises range from higher pensions and social benefits to improving the health care system. However, often the candidates fail to explain the funding for these measures, rendering them “mere campaign talk”.
“All the candidates have included measures related to human rights, but the main focus is on economic and social rights, such as social protection for vulnerable groups, including families with many children, pensioners, disabled people, or war veterans. Indexation of pensions is an omnipresent campaign promise”, the report notes.
Only four presidential manifestos mention press freedom, protection of minorities and combating hate speech. At the opposite pole, some candidates promise to ban “LGBT propaganda” and other such measures that are at odds with democratic norms.
On the rule of law, the report shows that most candidates emphasize the importance of strengthening it, but the proposed measures are unspecific.
“All the candidates included justice reform in their program. Some examples include the creation of an anti-corruption court and the adoption of legal systems based on jury service, but they exceed the powers of the president and require major legislative changes”, explained CRJM president Ilie Chirtoacă.
The report identified some “populist” proposals, such as shifting to a presidential republic or scrapping parliamentary immunity.
“These measures, while attractive to the electorate, are difficult to implement and could obstruct current reforms. The bottom line is that while all the candidates have made commitments to human rights and the rule of law, many of these promises are superficial and not accompanied by clear implementation plans. In the absence of feasible and realistic solutions, there is a risk that these promises will remain only simple political statements”, said Chirtoacă.
According to CRJM experts, “the upcoming election will put to the test not only the campaign promises, but also the candidates’ ability to uphold the fundamental values of democracy and the rule of law”.