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June 3, 2018

Time: 9.30

The Promo-LEX Observation Mission of the new local elections of 20 May (3 June) 2018 notes,

Presence of advertising materials, posters, election panels within the polling station area (100 meters within the PS) – 2 cases
PS 265 Durlesti. A billboard with posters of both election candidates has been identified within 100 meters of the PS.
PS 256 Codru. An election poster of a competitor has been identified within 20 meters of the PS.

Ballot boxes have not been sealed as provided for by the legal procedures / broken/ damaged / missing seals on ballot boxes – 4 cases
PS 128 Center. The stationary ballot box has been sealed with two seals only. The EBPS has sufficient seals to be applied to all four sides of the ballot box, but they have not been used.
PS 148 Center. There are two stationary ballot boxes with two seals each in the PS, despite the fact that there are a sufficient number of seals to seal all four sides of the ballot boxes.
PS 123 Center. Two stationary ballot boxes in the polling station have 2 seals each.
PS 114 Center. The stationary ballot box has only two seals applied, the explanation of the EBPS being an insufficient number of seals.

Unjustified presence of unauthorized persons in the polling station or within 50 meters of the PS – 2 cases
PS 84 Buiucani. A man claims to be the observer of an election contender, although he has no accreditation card. Upon being reprimanded, the man called the party’s representatives, who advised him to stay in the polling station. The alleged observer was in the PS in absence of an accreditation card at 8:30 in the morning.
PS 220 – Riscani. Two representatives of a political party / electoral contestant came to the polling station and intimidated voters by asking various questions. They initially refused to leave the polling station, but, after the insistent request of the EBPS president, they unwillingly left.  Later, two other members of the same party came to the polling station and exhibited the same behavior.  They left after a few minutes.

Deficiencies in the functioning of SIAS Elections System (suspension of operation/ situations when SIAS Elections indicates that the voter cast his or her vote, while the voter claims he or she did not vote) – 2 cases
PS 108 Buiucani. At the opening of the polling station, the SIAS Elections system did not work for about 12 minutes.
PS 141 Center. Both operators did not have Internet connection in the period between 7:00 and 7:15. After 7:15, only one operator was able to connect.

Faults in the voters’ lists (address discrepancies, deceased voters, forged signatures) – 3 cases
PS 70 Botanica. A voter was not found on the basic voters’ lists. He voted, as he was included in additional lists.
PS 218 Riscani. A voter has been voting for several years on additional lists because he is not included in the basic lists, even though he resides within the area of the polling station.
PS 149 Center. A voter identified two deceased people on the basic voters’ lists. 

Taking pictures of ballots – 1 case
PS 26 Botanica. A voter photographed the ballot after applying the “Voted” stamp. The EBPS president called the police and a record was drawn up. The ballot was canceled. The photo was deleted in the presence of EBPS members.

Lack of clarity in submitting requests for voting at the place of residence – 2 cases
PS 234 Riscani. Two different individuals filed requests for voting at the place of residence for the same person. The EBPS president said he would send both requests to the Constituency Council.
PS 229 Riscani. At 8:20 in the morning, a person, who presented herself as a social assistant, brought 12 requests for voting at the place of residence to the EBPS. The president registered all of the requests. Observers present in the PS did not agree with the president’s decision, but their complaints were not registered.

Others
PS 54 Botanica. A voter came to the PS without the supplementary sheet of his ID. After checking whether the voter had the subsequent right to vote in the PS, the president allowed him to vote in the absence of the supplementary sheet.

The Promo-LEX Observation Mission of the new local elections on 20 May (3 June) 2018 monitors the second round of elections in the Chisinau constituency through 5 long-term observers (LTOs). On the day of the elections, Promo-LEX delegated a short-term observer (STO) to each polling station in the constituency. Observers involved in the monitoring process signed the Promo-LEX Independent National Observatory’s Code of Conduct, undertaking the responsibility to act in an assertive and non-partisan manner. The activity of all the observers is coordinated by the central team of the association.

The activity of the Promo-LEX OM is supported financially by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The opinions expressed in the Promo-LEX public reports belong to the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funders.

For further information, please contact:
Axenia Chirilov,
Communication Officer of Promo-LEX Association
GSM: 060 16 83 14
E-mail: [email protected]