Promo-Lex reports minor electoral violations

A monitoring report released today by the NGO Promo-Lex showed minor electoral deviations registered in the early weeks of the campaign preceding the June 5 local elections. These include electoral campaigning prior to the candidates' formal registration, offering of electoral gits, incertitude related to the voter rolls and others, Info-Prim Neo reports. Promo-Lex chairman Ion Manole told a news conference launching the report that the pre-electoral period was marked by incertitude as to when the elections were to be held. Further, a number of amendments were made to the Election Code beyond the time limit recommended by the Venice Commission. “[Another] less positive issue is the suspension of provisions that prescribed the modality of compiling electoral rolls. We believe this is a step back. We've returned to the old modality of compiling lists. Again we don't have a body that would be responsible for these lists”, said Ion Manole. Corneliu Cirimpei, the coordinator of the Promo-Lex observers' network, said that deficiencies were also reported in respect to the establishment of polling stations. As of May 4, the official website of the Central Election Commission lacked systematized information about the location of polling stations and contacts for them. “There is an unhealthy tendency of low visibility of the information adopted by the election authorities at different levels. In many cases, information is unavailable even when requested by voters and accredited observers”, said Corneliu Cirimpei. Concerning the voter rolls, Corneliu Cirimpei remarked the lack of a standardized approach in respect to the compilation, administration, transmission, updating and verification of the electoral lists. Corneliu Cirimpei also said that in different parts of the country a number of candidates started their campaigning activity prior to their formal registration as candidates. Gifts accompanied by messages of electoral nature were offered in a number of districts as well as in Chisinau. There were also reported cases of violence between electoral rivals. To remove these deficiencies, Promo-Lex recommends initiating awareness-raising campaigns to promote civilized behavior between political rivals, entrusting the responsibility to compile voter rolls to a single authority, introducing clear legal definitions for electoral gifts and electoral corruption. Promo-Lex is carrying out its monitoring effort for the June 5 elections with the financial and technical support of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs.