The Promo-LEX OM for the General Local Elections of 5 November 2023 notes that of the total of 994 alerts reported by Promo-LEX observers until 19:00, the central team of the Promo-LEX Mission processed 527 as incidents, of which 213 incidents are included in this release.

Obstruction of the free observation and/or intimidation of observers – 1 case.

PS 1/106 Buiucani, Chisinau. The observer was intimidated by the PEB president, with the pretext firstly that she would not be allowed to take pictures or video, and she warned her after about 25 minutes that “she could have problems”. Later, the PEB president approached the observer several times and threatened to write a petition to the CEC against her by tonight.

Problematic situations regarding the exercise of the right to choose – 7 cases.

PS 1/72 Buiucani, Chisinau. A person with disabilities could not enter the polling station due to the lack of an access ramp and voted outside, but he was given everything and a board so that no one could see where he was putting stamp. PS 1/94 Buiucani, Chisinau. At 14:00, a voter approached the operator’s table to be registered, the operator asked for the identity card attachment but the voter did not have it. Both the operator and the PEB president refused, having argued that the presence of the attachment was mandatory.

PS 1/100 Buiucani, Chisinau. The voter could not be lifted up on the ramp (the ramp was at an awkward angle) to enter the polling station. The PEB president explained the cause to the voter, as the voter did not submit a preventive application to vote at home, but the voter did not have a medical certificate for a mobile ballot box to be transported at home, so he did not have the opportunity to vote.

PS 01/55, Chisinau, Botanica. One voter was forbidden to vote with his passport, he was carrying an expired identity card. The PEB president informed the voter that he can obtain a provisional identity card at the nearest Multipurpose Center.

PS 25/9, Orhei. After the registration of the identity document by the SAIS Elections operator and signing in the voters’ lists, the voter was informed by the PEB president that it was mandatory to apply the “Voted” stamp on the identity card attachment. After trying to find out the reason for that necessity, the president communicated that he had done so to all the persons who had previously voted, and so he had read from the training manual.

PS 01/56, Chisinau, Botanica. Around 09:00, a woman approached and requested a mobile ballot box for her son who was in a wheelchair. She was informed that she had to fill out an application and present a medical report, to which the woman agreed to come with her son to the PS. Having arrived at the PS at 13:15, it was found that her son cannot enter the PS because he was in a wheelchair, and the PS premises was not accessible (there were no access ramps). The voter had the opportunity to vote by taking out the voters’ lists and ballot papers with the Voted stamp outside the PS, under the supervision of observers and representatives of electoral competitors.

PS 01/55, Chisinau, Botanica.  One voter’s right to vote was denied because the identity card was damaged and the attachment was missing.

Rumors, attempts, or even material or monetary rewards offered to voters in the perimeter and/or near the polling station to influence voters’ choice – 2 cases.

PS 1/78 Buiucani, Chisinau. 50 meters away from the polling station, there were two persons who, according to some voters, were handing out money to elect a candidate from a party. The police accompanied them to the station to investigate the case.

PS 2/17 Balti. According to the discussions of the PEB members, near the PS, a minibus was located with persons who offered a monetary reward to voters who presented the photo of the ballot paper with the Voted stamp.

Discontinuation of the shooting of electoral operations during the voting day – 6 cases.

PS 20/11, Hincesti, Bozieni. At 10:22, a PEB member disconnected the camera, the camera was no longer functioning.

PS 5/11, Basarabeasca, Bascalia. Due to full memory in the camera, the shooting process was interrupted. PEB members were looking for remedial solutions.

PS 1/179 Chisinau, Ciocana. At 14:30, it was noticed that the video camera stopped recording because the memory was full. The PEB president did not know that it was disconnected, because the memory was full. Later, the PEB president telephoned CEC representatives and was waiting for their response. At least until 15:10, the video camera was still disconnected.

PS 1/78 Buiucani, Chisinau. At 15:00, the video camera was disconnected and removed from the stand to be charged.

PS 1/79 Buiucani, Chisinau. At 14:34, a member of the precinct electoral bureau noticed that the video camera was not recording, the recording was stopped. It was also noted that it blocked/turned off at 6 hours and 18 minutes of recording. The operator called the Call Center of the CEC, having reported the technical problem, the PEB president immediately contacted the responsible persons to solve the problem. The PEB president drew up a statement of findings. At 15:40, a new camera was installed and the recording resumed.

PS 11/1 Cimislia, Cimislia. As of 13:30, the video camera in the PS premises was not operational due to lack of memory. At 16:30, a new camera was installed and video recording resumed.

Electoral campaigning or adverse promotion in the 100 m perimeter and/or in the polling station to influence voters’ choice – 11 cases.

PS 1/93 Buiucani, Chisinau. One voter insisted on saying several times which candidate he was voting for. PEB members warned him.

PS 1/83 Buiucani, Chisinau. A representative of a party greeted people at the entrance, before entering the voting booth, and kept asking them some questions about which choice was better and suggested them some options to vote for. He also took notes and talked to observers and representatives of electoral competitors.

PS 1/109 Buiucani, Chisinau. The installation of tents with tables was observed at the headquarters of a party. There was no electoral information or electoral campaigning. Flags with the name of the party were placed at the tables. The polling station was located nearby, within 100 m.

PS 1/214 Riscani, Chisinau. At 14:45, an unknown citizen entered the PS premises, asked a question about the identity card, after receiving an answer from PEB members, began agitation and disturbance of peace in the PS. The PEB president and members asked him persistently to leave the PS, the citizen refused.

PS 01/20, Chisinau, Botanica. Two voters entered the PS, mother and daughter. When they both entered the voting booths, the daughter asked the mother who she voted for, then the daughter told her to vote for a party candidate.

PS 01/66, Chisinau, Botanica. A man asked with a raised voice where a certain candidate was on the list, and, at the end, he wanted to vote, also loudly. He did not react to the PEB members’ warning.

PS 2/41 Balti. At 12:05, a woman from a party was at the entrance to the polling station and urged voters not to vote. The information came from the PEB president, and while the observers came out to see the incident, the woman left.

PS 1/182 Chisinau, Ciocana. At 12:10, a person was observed persuading some elderly women to vote for a candidate. Likewise, that person also discussed with the accredited representative of the respective party.

PS 01/52, Chisinau, Botanica. In the PS premises, a voter was talking badly about certain political parties and doing electoral campaigning. The ballot papers were handed to him, but he did not go to the voting booth and tried to have political conversations with PEB members. They urged him to vote, and he left the PS after about 5 minutes.

Violence or intimidation of voters or other people – 1 case.

PS 1/180 Chisinau, Ciocana. Between 14:25 and 14:29, an intoxicated man appeared at the PS to vote, but was refused because both identity cards presented were expired, the last one in 2021. He got angry and started using foul language. The PEB president had to calm him down and lead him out of the polling station. He left the station at 14:34.

Deficiencies in voters’ lists (address discrepancies, deceased voters, signatures instead of others) – 40 cases.

PS 1/109 Buiucani, Chisinau. The voter was not found in the basic voters’ list, even if he was found in the SAIS Elections. The PEB president registered the voter in the supplementary lists.

 PS 1/105 Buiucani, Chisinau. A voter identified in the voters’ list a close relative who died in 2005. He claimed that he had previously applied to the PSA but the problem has still not been resolved.

PS 1/222 Riscani, Chisinau. The voter was not on the voters’ list. He voted on the supplementary list.

PS 1/238 Riscani, Chisinau. Two voters were found in the SAIS Elections, but were not found in the voters’ lists. They were included in the supplementary lists.

PS 23/38, Nisporeni, Varzaresti. Discrepancies were recorded in the voters’ lists. Thus, in the case of several voters with residence visas near the PS, they were assigned to another PS. Initially, some voters were included in the supplementary lists and voted, but later voters who, according to the SAIS Elections, were assigned to another PS, were redirected to vote at the PS where they were included in the list.

PS 23/38, Nisporeni, Varzaresti. A person was identified who had an address in the immediate vicinity of the PS, but was assigned to another PS.

PS 23/38, Nisporeni, Varzaresti. Husband and wife, living at the same address, were assigned to different PSs.

PS 01/9, Chisinau, Botanica. One voter was not found on the basic voters’ lists, although he was identified in the SAIS Elections. He voted on the supplementary lists.

PS 01/17, Chisinau, Botanica. A voter claimed that his daughter was no longer domiciled at the address indicated in the SAIS Elections and in the basic voters’ lists.

PS 01/37, Chisinau, Botanica. Two voters were not found in the basic lists, although they claimed that, according to the identity documents, the addresses were within the radius of the PS. They have been included in the supplementary list.

PS 01/115, Chisinau, Centru. A voter was not found neither in the SAIS Elections nor in the basic voters’ lists, although, according to the identity documents, he has an address in the respective PS radius. He voted in the supplementary voters’ lists.

PS 01/129, Chisinau, Centru. One person was not found in the basic voters’ lists, having been included in the supplementary lists.

PS 01/131, Chisinau, Centru. A family, husband and wife, appeared at the PS, they presented their identity cards, having stated that they were registered at the same address, but the SAIS Elections operator informed that only the husband was registered at the respective PS, and the wife was registered at another PS.

PS 01/145, Chisinau, Centru. One voter was not found in the basic voters’ lists, having been included in the supplementary lists.

PS 01/128, Chisinau, Centru. A voter was outraged by the fact that at his home address, in the basic voters’ lists, there were 2 persons who were not registered with a residence visa at that address.

PS 1/176 Chisinau, Ciocana. At 12:54, 2 voters (husband and wife) were with the same residence visa. The husband was registered, but the wife was not. Thus, the husband found himself in the lists and was allowed to vote in the given polling station. Following discussions with the PEB president, the wife was redirected to vote at another polling station.

PS 1/152 Chisinau, Ciocana. At 12:10, a voter approached the PEB member with her identity card to sign in the voters’ lists, but there was already another person’s signature under her name. The PEB president established that the person added to the voters’ list, by mistake, signed under her name and drew up a protocol to that effect, after which the voter received the ballot papers and voted.

PS 1/184 Chisinau, Ciocana. At 14:35, a woman, by mistake, signed in the basic list of voters instead of another voter. The PEB member had to make a note in the notes section to remedy the situation.

PS 1/149 Chisinau, Ciocana. At 11:58, a voter requested an explanation regarding the registration of a foreigner in his apartment (the foreigner had not yet voted). He requested the “deletion” of the foreign person from the PEB president. The PEB secretary explained that she cannot change the list and she did not draw them up.

PS 1/171 Chisinau, Ciocana. At 11:32, a voter noticed his wife’s name in the basic list, but she no longer resided at the indicated address.

PS 16/31 Edinet, Fetesti. At 14:15, a voter was not found in the voters’ lists, but the residence visa in Fetesti was indicated in the identity card. The voter was included in the supplementary list and voted.

PS 16/4 Edinet. At 12:15, a voter reported that every time she participated in the elections, she found a foreign person registered in the basic list, whom she did not know and who had never lived in her house, nor registered in the real estate register. According to her, the basic lists have not been updated for 12 years.

PS 16/4 Edinet. At 11:25, a voter appeared, who lives in Edinet at the address str. Gagarin, and the identity card was indicated in Cupcini. The identity card was issued on 22 March 2022. He was not found in the SAIS Elections, nor in the basic lists. He was advised to go to the PSA and receive a provisional identity card in order to vote. The person returned with a provisional identity card and was included in the supplementary list.

PS 13/1 Donduseni, Donduseni. At 15:10, persons who had been dead for a longer time were found in the voters’ lists.

PS 2/50 Balti. At 16:35, two voters (husband and wife) were not found in the voters’ lists, and that was not a unique case.

PS 2/45 Balti. At 11:54, a voter came in, she wanted to vote but she was not allowed to, because a signature was affixed to her name and surname. According to the voter, she did not appear before, respectively the signature cannot belong to her.  Later, the police were called by the PEB president, they looked at the video cameras at the entrance to the polling station and it was confirmed that the voter had indeed not voted previously, but another voter who had previously messed up and signed instead.  In the end, the voter was allowed to vote.

PS 2/21 Balti. At 17:01, a voter’s right to vote was restricted, because he was not found in the voters’ lists, nor in the SAIS Elections system. The voter mentioned that he has not made any changes regarding his domicile or residence visa and, according to the data in the identity card, he could vote in that polling station.

PS 2/41 Balti. At 15:00, a person signed the voter list for another person – his daughter, then crossed out/hatched the signature, having explained that he did so because the daughter was not in the country. The PEB president intended to call the police, but the woman left the polling station.

PS 2/56 Balti. At 14:42, a voter was not found in the SAIS Elections by the operator, nor in the basic lists. The voter was included in the supplementary voters’ list and voted.

PS 1/88 Buiucani, Chisinau. The voter was not on the voters’ lists, but was identified in the SAIS Elections. He was included on the supplementary lists.

PS 12/13 Cruglic, Criuleni. The voter was not found on the basic voters’ list. In the SAIS Elections, he was wrongly assigned to another locality. The voter voted on the supplementary list.

PS 01/126, Chisinau, Centru. A voter with an address in the PS radius was not found in the basic voters’ lists. PEB members allowed him to vote on the supplementary lists.

PS 01/143, Chisinau, Centru. One voter, with the same address from 2021 in the PS radius, was not found in the basic voters’ lists. He voted on the supplementary lists.

PS 01/145, Chisinau, Centru. A voter noticed that in the basic voters’ lists there was a person who had been out of the country for 15 years and was no longer registered at the voter’s residence.

PS 01/5, Chisinau, Botanica. A woman with an address in the PS radius was not found neither in the SAIS Elections nor in the basic voters’ lists. She stated that she voted always at that the PS and always had the same problem. The voter voted on the supplementary list.

PS 01/37, Chisinau, Botanica. One voter was not found in the basic lists, having been included to vote on the supplementary lists.

PS 01/37, Chisinau, Botanica. When attempting to vote, a voter was not found on the basic voters’ list. Reasoning that that voter had the same problems every time, the PEB president allowed him to vote on the supplementary lists.

PS 01/144, Chisinau, Centru. An elderly voter noticed that the basic voters’ list contained the name of a person who had left the country since 1993, presumed to be deceased since his house had been sold. PEB members tried to explain to him that they had no right to change the list, recommending him to submit a request to the CEC. The voter was not satisfied with the answer he received, having left shouting loudly about the possible falsifications.

PS 18/6, Floresti. Two voters were not found in the basic voters’ lists, they were included in the supplementary voters’ lists.

PS 23/38, Nisporeni, Varzaresti. The same family, parents and children, living at the same address, found that they were divided into different PSs.

Deficiencies in the functioning of the SAIS Elections System (suspension of operation, situations when SAIS Elections System indicates that the voter voted, and s/he claims not to) – 18 cases.

PS 1/79 Buiucani, Chisinau. In the SAIS Elections system, it was indicated that the voter must vote in another locality. The voter was not registered in the basic list, but the residence visa was in Chisinau. The voter was included in the supplementary list.

PS 1/88 Buiucani, Chisinau. One voter could not be found in the SAIS Elections, but had a residence visa from 2019. He was recorded in the supplementary list.

PS 1/73 Buiucani, Chisinau. Having presented themselves to the operator, three voters were identified as persons who had already voted, but they did not sign in the voters’ lists. The PEB president told them that they had already voted according to the system and that they could not exercise their vote. Persons left the polling station.

PS 18/23, Floresti, Cuhurestii de Sus. In the case of 6 voters who live in the village of Unchitesti, but reside in the village of Cuhurestii de Sus, they were not identified in the SAIS Elections, although they were in the basic voters’ lists. The PEB secretary registered them on a separate list, and the PEB president said it’s because of SAIS and allowed them to vote.

PS 01/52, Chisinau, Botanica. Due to network connection problems, only one the SAIS Elections operator was working. Due to that, agglomeration was formed in the PS.

PS 01/140, Chisinau, Centru. For about 4 minutes, the Internet connection was interrupted, but the problem was promptly removed.

PS 01/124, Chisinau, Centru. A voter went initially to another PS, where – after checking in the SAIS Elections – he was informed that he had to vote at the PS 1/124. When he approached the indicated PS, the SAIS operator – upon checking the identity document – informed him that he was registered as having already voted, although the voter claimed that he did not vote. In the end, he did not vote.

PS 01/28, Chisinau, Botanica. One voter, who according to the identity card, had a residence visa in the PS radius, was not found in the basic lists. When contacting the superiors, PEB members were informed that the IDNP of the person in question was not in the national database (the IDNP was not valid). As a result, the said person did not vote.

PS 2/22 Balti. At 12:15, two voters, husband and wife, after the operator’s check, were not identified in the SAIS Elections. But according to the residence visa, they were assigned to the given polling station. With the agreement of the PEB president, they were included in the supplementary lists.

PS 2/50 Balti. At 10:50, a voter, having been entered into the SAIS Elections by the operator, appeared as having restrictions, but, in the identity card, the domicile dated back to 2018. The voter was allowed to vote and was included in the supplementary voting list.

PS 2/22 Balti. At 13:33, following the check of the voter in the SAIS Elections, he was not identified, although, according to the residence visa, he was assigned to that section. With the consent of the PEB president, the voter was included in the supplementary list.

PS 2/50 Balti. At 10:39, a voter was entered into the SAIS Elections, it was indicated that the identity card series was missing and that he did not have the right to vote. The PEB president called the CEC and was told that he had the right to vote. The voter returned and voted.

PS 2/28 Balti. At 11:30, a voter was checked in the SAIS Elections – and appeared as having restrictions, according to art. 160. The voter changed his surname. According to the decision of the PEB president, the voter was added to the supplementary list and then the SAIS operator added the voter to the database.

PS 2/22 Balti. At 10:50, when the operator checked in the SAIS Elections, the voter was not identified neither in the system, nor in the base list. The voter has been domiciled for a long time within the radius of that polling station. With the consent of the PEB president and the secretary, the voter was included in the supplementary list.

PS 2/22 Balti. At 14:08, the voter was not found in the lists in the SAIS Elections, but the residence visa was specifically in that sector. With the consent of the PEB president, the voter was included in the supplementary lists.

PS 2/22 Balti. At 15:37, a voter was not found in the lists of the SAIS Elections, but he has a residence visa within the radius of the polling station and, upon permission of the PEB president, he was included in the supplementary lists.

PS 1/101 Buiucani, Chisinau. One voter was on the voters’ lists, but was not identified in the SAIS Elections. The voter exercised his right to vote.

PS 12/21 Hrusova, Criuleni. In the SAIS Elections, 4 voters were wrongly assigned (to a PS from another locality). They were on the basic voters’ lists of the PS and exercised their right to vote.

Unjustified presence of unauthorized persons in the polling station or within 100 m – 22 cases.

PS 1/288 Chisinau, Colonita. The former mayor of the locality (suspended from office currently came to the polling station to vote. After voting, she went up to the 2nd floor (PS is in the City Hall). One of the representatives of a political party also went up to the 2nd floor to ask the former mayor why she went up to the 2nd floor. An argument was heard between them, after which the representative of the political party filed an appeal related to that situation, the mayor left the premises after a few minutes.

PS 1/254 Chisinau, Durlesti. One person was observed, for more than 1 hour, within 100 meters of the polling station. He talked to the persons who were going to vote and who have already gone to vote.

PS 1/249 Chisinau, Codru. An unknown person was near the PS. He entered the PS premises several times and talked to a few voters, then came out and sat in his car or near the PS entrance for several hours. The police was notified.

PS 18/63, Floresti, Temeleuti. A voter, after voting, remained in the PS premises for about 10 minutes to talk with one of the present observers.

PS 28/54, Singerei, Prepelita. Starting at 10:00, for at least 2 hours, the presence of some persons who gathered in a group was observed near the PS. From several sources, they would be candidates for the position of councilors on a party’s list.

PS 28/2, Singerei. Two persons entered the PS premises. Only one of them voted, and the other took a picture of the first person putting their ballot paper in the ballot box. At the exit from the PS, the PEB president made an objection to them.

PS 28/21, Singerei, Chiscareni. In front of the PS, the presence of a party’s candidate for the position of councilor was observed for a period longer than 10 minutes. He was talking to the voters he knew.

PS 01/55, Chisinau, Botanica. At around 12:15, daughter of an electoral competitor’s representative came to replace her for an hour, without having an official registration, according to legal procedures. The representative gave her daughter the accreditation. The PEB president consulted with the other representatives of other electoral competitors and they agreed to her presence in the PS premises.

PS 1/167 Chisinau, Ciocana. At 11:38, a person entered the station and began to riot, having mentioned that money was paid to the city from his project. The PEB president said she would call the police and the man left, and he was detained later, according to the PEB president.

PS 1/165 Chisinau, Ciocana. At 11:30, an unknown citizen entered the station and started shouting about the political situation in the country. The PEB president approached and asked to leave the station. The person was still shouting, and PEB members called the police, and the person suddenly left the station.

PS 1/278 Chisinau, Bubuieci. One person was in the PS radius for around 20 min and was discussing with different persons. Later, the PEB president intervened and asked to leave, the person left.

PS 1/246 Chisinau, Codru. Between 14:00 and 15:30, in the radius of 100 m of the PS, 3 young men shooting voters coming to the PS were observed. They interacted with a party representative who brought them food.

PS 1/257 Chisinau, Durlesti. A blue Mercedes car with the numbers BYF 191 was parked next to the PS. There was a person inside the car taking pictures of the persons that came out of the PS.

PS 1/257 Chisinau, Durlesti. In the parking lot near the PS, for more than an hour, there was a minibus in which there was a woman who, it seemed, was reporting the situation at the polling station, taking notes. She also approached and talked with several persons who were in the polling station. Whenever the given person saw the Promo-LEX observer, she hid behind the minibus.

PS 1/257 Chisinau, Durlesti. For one hour, there was a candidate for the position of councilor around the PS. He interacted with at least 3 persons who voted and with the Promo-LEX observer, having mentioned that he came to ensure that the voting process took place without illegalities.

PS 1/257 Chisinau, Durlesti. A Toyota car with the number TFN 835 was near the PS for about an hour. Someone in the car took notes and probably pictures of the persons leaving the polling station gate, including the observer when he went out to check the perimeter of the polling station.

PS 1/259 Chisinau, Durlesti. Within 100 m of the PS, a candidate for the position of councilor from the party was observed. She interacted with other voters. The representatives of another candidate called 112, requested the presence of the police, who drew up a report against the woman.

PS 12/37 Slobozia-Dusca, Criuleni. A candidate for mayor was within 100m near the PS for about 15 minutes and had conversations with people.

PS 12/3 Criuleni, Criuleni. After the representative of a competitor left with the mobile ballot box together with other members of the PEB. Another person who was running for the position of councilor from the party came in his place. He was in the PS premises for about 30 minutes and was making notes while watching the voters who came to the PS. Later, the PEB president intervened and announced that the man did not have accreditation and could not be in the PS premises.

PS 01/127, Chisinau, Centru. One of the representatives of a political party registered in the electoral competition, got into a discussion with a woman after she voted. The discussion lasted about 5 minutes, during which international observers were also present in the PS. The party representative was warned by the PEB president to stop the discussions and asked her friend/neighbor to leave the PS.

PS 01/59, Chisinau, Botanica. A voter from another PS approached the PS premises. Without justifying his presence, he started shooting the polling station and what was inside. To solve and clarify the case, the police were called.

PS 15/3, Dubasari, Corjova. During the day, periodically, the presence of a candidate designated by a party for the position of local councilor was noticed near the PS. He was talking to voters coming in and out of the PS. The duration of the discussions was up to 10 min.

Photographing of ballot papers, other violations of the secret of voting (presentation of the ballot paper with the cast vote, etc.) – 43 cases.

PS 1/201 Riscani, Chisinau. At the insistence of some PEB members and a representative of an electoral competitor to the representatives and observers to help managing the flow of voters, some representatives of the electoral competitors started helping voters to fold the ballot papers, thus making their voting option visible.

PS 1/82 Buiucani, Chisinau. A voter took a picture of the ballot paper and then left, PEB members did not notice the incident.

PS 1/83 Buiucani, Chisinau. A voter took a photo of the ballot paper. PEB members warned regarding the interdiction.

PS 1/202 Riscani, Chisinau. A voter took a photo of the ballot paper. At the time when that incident took place, the PEB president was not present in the PS and other authorized persons did not notice that violation.

PS 8/5 Cantemir, Baimaclia. A voter took a photo of the ballot paper. The PEB president noticed that, asked the voter to delete the pictures. He complied and deleted the pictures.

PS 1/249 Chisinau, Codru. At 11:50, a voter took a photo in the voting booth with the ballot paper. A PEB member intervened and the voter was asked to delete the pictures.

PS 1/254 Chisinau, Durlesti. A political party representative was making notes about some voters coming to vote in the PS.

PS 1/305 Chisinau, Truseni. Two representatives of a political party were making notes regarding certain voters who came to vote at the PS.

PS 18/53, Floresti, Putinesti. A voter took a photo of the ballot paper. However, at the intervention and insistence of the PEB members, the picture was deleted from the phone.

PS 22/9, Leova, Iargara. A voter took a photo of the ballot paper.

PS 26/23, Rezina, Mateuti Two voters photographed the ballot papers. The PEB president observed and intervened in only one case.

PS 01/57, Chisinau, Botanica. Three persons, having been in adjacent voting booths, were discussing which candidate for mayor to vote for. There was no reaction from PEB members.

PS 1/25, Chisinau, Botanica. A young man photographed the ballot paper, having been in the voting booth. The PEB president insisted on deleting the photo. The voter complied.

PS 01/53, Chisinau, Botanica. A voter took a photo of the ballot paper. He was warned by the PEB member that it was forbidden, but he made fun of the PEB member’s appeal.

PS 01/9, Chisinau, Botanica. Three voters photographed the ballot papers. At the insistence of the PEB members, they deleted the pictures.

PS 2/17 Balti. At 13:15, a voter tried to take a picture of his ballot paper, but was seen by PEB members; the president took the ballot papers from him and handed them to the policeman, with whom they went out into the corridor. Without being clear what the policeman’s actions were, the voter returned to the polling station where he was allowed to put the ballot papers in the ballot box. The policeman left the PS without explanation.

PS 2/47 Balti. At 11:38, a voter took a picture of the ballot paper. After the PEB president intervened, the voter complied and deleted the picture.

PS 2/45 Balti. At 11:34, the ballot papers were photographed by a man after he had stamped “Voted”. The PEB president did not notice the incident.

PS 2/17 Balti. At 10:48, a voter took a picture of the ballot paper, but he was seen by PEB members and was asked to delete the picture. The voter reacted aggressively, and the PEB president called the police to check the contents of the phone and to take the necessary measures. The voter complied with the policeman’s instructions.

PS 1/188 Chisinau, Ciocana. At 10:43, in the polling station, a voter was very noisy about his choice, having displayed it. The PEB president made numerous objections to him and the man cast his vote and left.

PS 1/158 Chisinau, Ciocana. At 11:58, two voters were discussing who to choose. The secretary of the PEB made an objection to them regarding that, and the persons complied with the objections.

PS 1/163 Chisinau, Ciocana. At 11:17, it was observed that the representative of a party was sending messages regarding voters, keeping a record of voters in the form of lists.

PS 1/266 Chisinau, Vadul lui Voda. At 11:31, a voter was observed taking a photo of his ballot paper in the PS premises. The president and a PEB member intervened. The voter announced that he had deleted the pictures.

PS 33/5 Taraclia. Until 14:10, several attempts to photograph the ballot paper were reported, but the PEB president intervened each time and ended those attempts.

PS 36/6 TAUG, Comrat. At 16:00, an elderly voter, after voting, entered the WhatsApp application and a photo of a ballot paper to be filled in was sent during a conversation.

PS 2/49 Balti. At 11:30, two voters, at an interval of about 30 minutes, tried to photograph their ballot papers, but were stopped by the observers in the hall. Voters claimed they were doing it just for the memories.

PS 2/17 Balti. At 16:14, another voter tried to take a photo of his ballot paper, but the PEB president noticed it, took the voter and led him to the police to document and take the necessary measures. At 16:41, the voter returned to the polling station, and the PEB president gave him the same ballot papers and the voter inserted them into the ballot box.

PS 2/53 Balti. At 16:07, a voter tried to take a photo of the ballot paper, that fact was noticed in time, the PEB president intervened and the voter was unable to take the photos.

PS 2/32 Balti. At 16:01, a voter photographed the ballot papers in the voting booth. At the request of the PEB president, the voter deleted the photos.

PS 2/3 Balti. At 16:00, a voter took a photo of the ballot paper. The PEB president called the police, the voter deleted the pictures, the policeman checked the phone in that regard.

PS 2/45 Balti. At 15:44, the ballot papers were photographed by a voter after applying the voting stamps on the ballot paper. None of the PEB members noticed the incident.

PS 2/59 Balti. At 15:00, a voter photographed the ballot papers.  The PEB president made an objection, to which the man reacted brutally and immediately left the polling station, before it was possible to intervene.

PS 2/24 Balti. At 15:26, a voter took a picture of the ballot paper in the voting booth. He was warned by the PEB president and the picture was deleted.

PS 2/57 Balti. A voter attempted to take pictures of the ballot paper, but was immediately warned by the PEB member.

PS 1/89 Buiucani, Chisinau. A voter took a photo of the ballot paper. PEB members did not notice the incident.

PS 01/117, Chisinau, Centru. A PEB member approached the voter in the voting booth to return his identity card, which he had forgotten on the member’s table. Therefore, he intervened at the moment when the voter applied the “Voted” stamp in the ballot papers, and his option was visible to him.

PS 01/25, Chisinau, Botanica. A voter, having been in the voting booth, took a photo of the ballot paper. The PEB president was notified, who informed him that it was forbidden to photograph ballot papers. Eventually, the person deleted the photos.

PS 01/7, Chisinau, Botanica. An elderly voter, 92 years old, who claimed that he could not see and did not know who to vote for, was assisted to vote by 3 persons, including 2 PEB members and a PR representative.

PS 01/41, Chisinau, Botanica. A voter, after voting, took a photo of her ballot paper. It was all fast and the PEB president didn’t notice.

PS 01/31, Chisinau, Botanica. Despite the warnings of the PEB members regarding the illegality of the action, one voter insisted and photographed the ballot paper.

PS 01/39, Chisinau, Botanica. A voter took a photo of the ballot paper while having been in the voting booth. At the insistence of the PEB president and the intervention of the police, he deleted the picture from his phone.

PS 19/25, Glodeni, Fundurii Vechi. A voter photographed the ballot papers with the Voted stamp. The PEB president was announced. As a result, the 3 ballot papers were cancelled, the picture was deleted from the phone, and the voter was given 3 other ballot papers for a new voting.

PS 19/16, Glodeni, Cobani. Two persons were observed who photographed the ballot paper, under the pretext of wanting to have a memento. That case was reported to the police and a protocol was drawn up, they had hearing of the witnesses

Unjustified group voting (two or more voters) – 47 cases.

PS 1/72 Buiucani, Chisinau 2 voters voted in the same voting booth. PEB members did not react in any way and did not make any objections to the concerned persons.

PS 1/77 Buiucani, Chisinau. 2 voters voted in the same booth. The PEB president warned the voters.

PS 1/99 Buiucani, Chisinau. Two voters voted in the same voting booth. It was observed that one voter stamped the other voter’s ballot papers. PEB members made objections.

PS 1/225 Riscani, Chisinau. Two voters voted simultaneously in the same voting booth.

PS 1/228 Riscani, Chisinau. Two voters voted in the same voting booth, PEB members did not react to the incident.

PS 1/202 Riscani, Chisinau. Two voters voted in the same voting booth. It was observed that one voter stamped the other voter’s ballot papers. PEB members made objections.

PS 1/219 Riscani, Chisinau. Two voters voted in the same voting booth. It was observed that one voter indicated which electoral competitor the other voter should vote for.

PS 18/58, Floresti, Sanatauca. In the same voting booth, 3 voters voted at the same time. When the PEB members were notified, the voters did not react, having argued that they were part of the same family.

PS 18/58, Floresti, Sanatauca. Three voters voted as a group in the same voting booth. PEB members did not come up with any reaction.

PS 18/58, Floresti, Sanatauca. Two persons voted in the same voting booth. When PEB members involved, they separated.

PS 20/14, Hincesti, Buteni. Two persons entered the voting booth at the same time, having argued that one of them was disabled and needed assistance. The accompanying person turned out to be a party’s candidate for mayor. PEB members reacted immediately with a warning, but were ignored.

PS 22/26, Leova, Filipeni. In the same voting booth, 2 voters voted at the same time. When PEB members were notified, the voters did not react.

PS 22/26, Leova, Filipeni. Two persons entered the same voting booth. When PEB members involved, they separated.

PS 22/26, Leova, Filipeni. Two persons entered the same voting booth. When PEB members involved, they separated.

PS 22/26, Leova, Filipeni. Several persons entered the same voting booth at the same time, having voted unjustifiably in the group.

PS 22/26, Leova, Filipeni. The presence of two persons in the voting booth was observed. They were warned by PEB members, but without any changes, the persons voted together.

PS 22/26, Leova, Filipeni. Two persons in the same booth exercised their right to vote. When PEB members were alerted, the voters argued that help was needed.

PS 22/26, Leova, Filipeni. Two persons entered the same voting booth. When PEB members involved, they separated.

PS 28/54, Singerei, Prepelita. Two persons entered the voting booth at the same time, having consulted about the voting options. PEB members had no reaction.

PS 18/33, Floresti, Gura Camencii. The wife approached the husband in the voting booth, telling him and showing him where to put the stamp. The PEB president made an objection to them, but the woman had no reaction, having mentioned that it was her husband and she was allowed.

PS 01/15, Chisinau, Botanica. There were 2 voters in the same voting booth at the same time. At the PEB member’s objection that it was prohibited, the voter mentioned that he did not care that he was photographed.

PS 01/5, Chisinau, Botanica. Two young voters voted both in the same polling booth. PEB members had no reaction.

PS 01/56, Chisinau, Botanica. Two young voters, accompanied by two small children, voted in the same voting booth. PEB members had no reaction.

PS 01/8, Chisinau, Botanica. Daughter and mother entered the voting booth almost simultaneously. The daughter voted, then showed the mother where to vote and left the voting booth. PEB members did not notice the case.

PS 01/57, Chisinau, Botanica. In the voting booth, a man guided a woman in choosing the PSRM candidate and applying the stamp.

PS 01/133, Chisinau, Centru. Two persons voted in the same voting booth. The PEB members made an objection to them.

PS 2/47 Balti. At 13:42, two voters were simultaneously in the same voting booth, having voted one after the other. No one intervened, the PEB president was not there at the time, and the PEB members did not react in any way.

PS 2/30 Balti. At 11:25, two persons entered the voting booth together, without reasons for disability or other deficiencies. The PEB president appealed and they complied, having voted separately.

PS 1/151 Chisinau, Ciocana. At 13:05, two women were discussing their voting options at a voting booth. The PEB president took measures, having told them and the rest of the voters that everyone must vote individually, that such discussions were prohibited.

PS 1/152 Chisinau, Ciocana. A woman entered the voting booth to vote, after which two other women approached, the reason for which they approached was unknown. PEB members noticed that and persons were warned about group discussions.

PS 1/180 Chisinau, Ciocana. Between 11:10 and 11:14, 2 voters were observed for a few minutes in the same voting booth. As was observed, it seemed that only the man stamped the ballot papers and the woman only accompanied him. In the same way, the man took and inserted the ballot papers for both in the ballot box by himself. At the objection made by other observers to those two persons, the man reacted aggressively, having made a gesture with his fist towards the observers. It was assumed that the woman accompanying him had special needs. PEB did not notice or react to the incident.

PS 1/159 Chisinau, Ciocana. At 11:03, a voter entered the voting booth, then went out and consulted with her daughter, and following the objections made by the PEB president, she returned to the voting booth and cast her vote.

PS 27/30 Riscani, Mihaileni. At 12:56, two persons entered a voting booth in the polling station. PEB members warned of illegality and voters separated.

PS 2/26 Balti. At 16:10, two voters (adult son with his father) voted in the same voting booth. At the PEB president’s objection, the son stated that his father cannot see. Visually, the father had no vision problems. Likewise, no magnifying glass was used.

PS 2/7 Balti. At 15:50, two voters consulted on the choice of candidates. At the objections of the PEB members, they declared loudly that they were a family (mother and daughter) and considered their actions natural. After three objections, they stopped consulting and voted separately.

PS 2/9 Balti. At 12:45, two elderly voters (one was entering and the other was leaving the voting booth) were consulting on the voting options. When the PEB president made an objection to them, one of them said that she was her neighbor and she has vision problems. The PEB president asked them to stop those actions.

PS 2/11 Balti. Two voters (husband and wife) voted in the same voting booth. None of the PEB members noticed that.

PS 2/24 Balti. At 14:34, a voter helped another voter apply the “Voted” stamp on the ballot papers, having explained that her mother was ill, although the person helped did not seem visually to need assistance.  The individuals were noticed by the PEB president as well as other members, but the individuals did not react.

PS 2/35, Balti At 14:30, 2 persons entered the voting booth (one of whom had already voted).  The woman who had previously voted was warned not to double her vote. None of the voters showed signs of needing assistance. After the warning addressed to the voter, no other measures were taken by the PEB members.

PS 11/1 Cimislia, Cimislia. Two persons voted in the same voting booth. The PEB president did not notice that violation or did not intervene accordingly.

PS 9/30 Pitusca, Calarasi. Two persons voted simultaneously in the same voting booth.

PS 01/119, Chisinau, Centru. During the voting process, two voters were talking near the voting booths. A PEB member made an objection to them. As a result, one voter walked away and waited until the other person came out.

PS 01/46, Chisinau, Botanica. Two voters – neighbors – voted in the same voting booth, consulting each other where a certain candidate was and who they should vote for. Having reasoned that one of the voters cannot see well and needed help, they both voted in the same voting booth. The PEB president did not consider it an incident.

PS 01/26, Chisinau, Botanica. Two middle-aged persons voted at the same time in the same voting booth, having argued that they did not know how to vote properly. After the objection made by the PS President, they separated in different booths.

PS 01/57, Chisinau, Botanica. Two voters – mother and daughter – entered the voting booth together, where the mother showed the daughter where to vote.

PS 19/25, Glodeni, Fundurii Vechi. Two voters voted simultaneously in the same voting booth, having reasoned that they were sisters and one cannot see very well. However, any signs that the person was visually impaired were not observed.

PS 01/132, Chisinau, Centru. A voter approached the PS to exercise his right to vote. For reasons of age and health, he requested to be helped. As a result, he was assisted in the voting booth to apply the “Voted” stamp by the representative of a political party.

Problematic situations regarding the use of ballot papers contrary to voting procedures – 10 cases

PS 1/84 Buiucani, Chisinau. A voter, after leaving the voting booth, refused to hand over the ballot papers, having argued that he did not trust. The Buiucani Sector Police was notified.

PS 1/199 Riscani, Chisinau. A voter tried to leave the PS with an unused ballot paper. The PEB president noticed the attempt and solved it.

PS 01/119, Chisinau, Centru. A PEB member identified in the voting booth a ballot paper for councilors with the Voted stamp affixed. The ballot paper was inserted into the ballot box.

PS 1/186 Chisinau, Ciocana. At 13:29, it was found that a voter was offered double ballot papers. The voter went, voted and when he was putting the ballot papers in the ballot box, a PEB representative, who was monitoring, stopped him when he saw that he was throwing by 2 ballot papers. As a result, a ballot paper for the mayor (who failed to insert it into the ballot box) was canceled. According to the PEB members, regarding the ballot paper for councilors, the PEB members spoke to the voter asking who he voted for and made a note, so that they canceled it in the end.

PS 7/55 Cahul, Slobozia Mare. At 12:08, a voter tore up the ballot papers, which were thrown into the ballot box by another voter. The PEB president stated that when the ballot boxes is unsealed, that fact will be properly documented.

PS 2/31 Balti. At 16:30, a voter was registered in the SAIS Elections, but did not vote, signed the list but did not take the ballot papers, turned and left the polling station. PEB members tried to convince him to return, but he ignored the requests.

PS 2/24 Balti. At 17:11, a voter, after voting, placed a ballot paper on which no stamp was applied, on the table of the PEB members. The voter explained that he did not consider it necessary to throw the ballot paper in the ballot box, for the reason that he did not apply the voted stamp. Later, another voter threw the ballot paper into the ballot box, with the permission of the PEB president.

PS 1/106 Buiucani, Chisinau. After receiving the ballot paper, the voter refused to vote and requested its cancellation through protocol. The PEB president refused that initially. The voter was outraged by the PEB president’s response and still did not want to leave the polling station. The police were notified and they removed the unauthorized person from the polling station. In the end, the voter’s ballot paper was canceled and inserted into the ballot box.

PS 1/92 Buiucani, Chisinau. A voter applied the “Voted” stamp on both ballot papers and tore the ballot paper for the mayor, having thought that he must put only that part of the ballot paper with the chosen party in the ballot box. The PEB president noticed that fact and canceled the ballot paper, having given that person another ballot paper.

PS 01/133, Chisinau, Centru. A ballot paper with the “Voted” stamp was found in the voting booth. The ballot paper was inserted into the ballot box by PEB members.

Organized transportation of voters (buses, minibuses, or other transport units that would normally not be around the polling station) – 1 case.

PS 15/3, Dubasari, Corjova. At 14:15, a brown Lada car was observed transporting persons to the PS for the second time. The driver of the vehicle waited until they voted and then left with them. The car was noticed first time around 10:00, when it was parked in front of the PS, and second time it was parked further away from the station. The driver was recognized as a person from Corjova.

Others – 6 cases.

PS 2/32 Balti. At 16:50, when it was necessary to distribute ballot papers to the operators, the PEB president, together with the observers, went to open the safe. Due to a deficiency, the key got stuck in the lock. Consequently, the PEB president called 112. The rescue team came accompanied by a policeman. The lock was removed and the safe with ballot papers was sealed with two seals.

PS 35/31 Ungheni, Condratesti. For 30 min. (the presence of MT in the PS), only one SAIS Elections operator was in the PS, the second one was missing. No queues have been formed.

PS 1/108 Buiucani, Chisinau. Around 10:30, one of the observers noticed that the ballot papers in Russian for the position of mayor were confused with the ballot papers from another station, (station 110). At the intervention of the PEB president, the ballot papers were withdrawn and perforated. By the time that situation was discovered, 13 ballot papers in Russian were used by voters in the voting process, among those belonging to another polling station (110).

PS 36/45 TAUG, Cioc-Maidan. At 13:40, a stamp with the inscription Voted was missing. By 17:00, it was not found.

PS 01/127, Chisinau, Centru. A representative of an electoral competitor (it was not identified which one) distracted the PEB members and got involved with them in discussions, polemics, as well as got involved in the electoral processes. Any warnings from the PEB secretary or president were continuously ignored by it.

PS 15/6, Dubasari, Cosnita, Pohrebea. A voter appeared at the PS with an expired ballot paper. The PEB president informed him that he had to present a valid identity card or a provisional identity card. In the end, the voter was admitted to vote, having been included in the supplementary list.

The release is drafted within the Observation Mission for the General Local Elections of 5 November 2023, carried out by the Promo-LEX Association with the financial support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Program “Democracy, Transparency and Responsibility” and of the European Union through the Project “Strengthening the electoral legislative framework and assessing its implementation during the general local elections in 2023”.

The opinions expressed in the reports and public releases of the Promo-LEX OM belong to the authors and do not necessarily reflect the point of view of financiers or partners. The content hereof may be subject to editorial revisions.

In case of discrepancies between the text in Romanian and its translation into another language, the provisions established by the Romanian text prevail.