October 20, 2019
Time: 9:30

The Promo-LEX Observation Mission for the general local and new parliamentary elections of October 20, 2019 informs that by 8.30 a.m., the Mission received from observers 56 incident reports, this press release including 26 incidents processed by the central team of the Promo-LEX Mission.

Opening of polling stations

The Promo-LEX OM for the general local elections and the new parliamentary elections of October 20, 2019, finds:

Delayed opening of the polling station – 1 case.

• PS 1/148 Chisinau, Center Dist. The PS opened at 7:45 due to the late arrival of the PEB president.

Presence of advertising materials, posters, electoral displays within the precinct (100 meters from the polling station) – 9 cases.

• PS 18/67, Floresti, Varvareuca. Electoral advertising on the displays has not been removed.
• PS 18/5, Floresti. A candidate’s poster is stuck on a building in close proximity to the PS.
• PS 1/308, Chisinau, Coloniata. The observer reported that a billboard with 2 candidates is placed within 100 meters of the PS.
• PS 1/249 Chisinau, Rascani Dist. There are 3 billboards of the same candidate within 100 m of the PS. They are located at a distance of 15 m, 50 m and 70 m.
• PS 1/262 Chisinau, Durlesti. There are 2 billboards displaying 2 candidates at a distance of 40 m from the PS.
• PS 1/27, Chisinau, Bacioi. There are 2 billboards displaying 2 candidates at a distance of about 60 m from the PS.
• PS 1/289, Chisinau, Budesti. There are electoral posters promoting a candidate located at a distance of 30 meters from PS.
• PS 16/1, Edinet. There are panels of a candidate at a distance of 50-60 m from the PS. The PEB president was informed of the fact and a person was delegated to remove the advertising.
• PS 1/266 Chisinau, Durlesti. A billboard displaying a candidate is located at a distance of 50 meters from PS.

Ballot boxes have not been sealed in compliance with the legal procedures / broken / deteriorated or complete absence of seals on the ballot boxes – 3 cases.

• PS 01/176, Chisinau, Ciocana Dist. At 07:26, there were no seals on the mobile ballot box.
• PS 1/10, Chisinau, Botanica Dist. All 3 stationary ballot boxes in the PS were secured with only 2 seals.
• PS 1/260, Chisinau, Cricova. There are 3 stationary ballot boxes in the PS all of them being secured with 2 seals.

Interruption of the shooting process at the opening of the PS – 7 cases.

• PS 27/50, Riscani, Vasileuti. The camcorder could not be turned on to shoot the preparation of the PS. The operators failed to connect it. The President of the PEB announced that he would draw up a statement of fact.
• PS 28/35, Singerei, Cubolta. At the opening of the polling station the equipment for video recording did not work. A statement of fact was drawn up.
• PS 7/45 Cahul, Lebedenco. The camcorder was connected on time, but it did not record anything.
• PS 7/4, Cahul. Technical malfunction of the camcorder. It works for 2-3 minutes then disconnects.
• PS 28/35, Singerei, Cubolta. When preparing for the opening of the PS, the video recording camera did not work. It did not have sufficient storage space.
• PS 23/32 Nisporeni, Seliste. The camcorder was on only during the counting of ballot papers before the opening of the PS. However, it was disconnected during the process of sealing the ballot boxes.
• PS 34/31 Telenesti, Nucareni. The camcorder has not been working since the preparation of the PS for opening. A statement of fact is to be drawn up.

Unjustifiable presence of unauthorized persons within the PS or within 100 m of the PS – 1 case.

• PS 1/111 Chisinau, Buiucani Dist. There are 2 persons in the PS that have no accreditation / registration documents.

Undistributed ballot papers are not kept in a safe place inside the polling station – 1 case.

• PS 26/02 Rezina. Ballot papers are not kept in a safe place within the PS. They are stored in a visible place within the reach of any voter.

Deficiencies in the voters’ lists (discrepancies between addresses; deceased voters on the list; signatures affixed by other people) – 3 cases.

• PS 1/56, Chisinau, Botanica Dist. According to SIAS Elections System, a voter was assigned to another PS, however he was on the voters’ lists of the PS 1/56.
• PS 1/142, Chisinau, Center Dist. At 07:23, SIAS operators introduced into the system the data of a voter, they could not find the voter on the lists and he was denied the right to vote.
• PS 1/298 Chisinau, Gratiesti. One voter found a mistake in the voters’ lists. The date of birth on the list did not coincide with the date of birth on the identity card.

Other – 1 case

• PS 7/43, Cahul, Iujnoe. The light was disconnected in the period between 06:45 and 07:10. PEB members opened the PS using flash lights. The problem was remedied by the employees of Union

The press release is made as part of the Observation Mission for the general local and new parliamentary elections of October 20, 2019 by the Promo-LEX Association with the financial support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the “Democracy, Transparency and Accountability” Program.

The opinions expressed in the public reports and press releases of the Promo-LEX OM belong to the authors and do not necessarily reflect the point of view of the funders or partners. The content of this document may be subject to editorial review.

For more details, please contact:
Inga Stegarescu, Communication Officer of the Promo-LEX Observation Mission for the general local and new parliamentary elections of October 20, 2019. GSM 069269684, e-mail: [email protected]

On August 15, the Promo-LEX Association launched its Observation Mission (OM) for the new General Local and Parliamentary Elections of October 20, 2019, making public its first Report on the monitoring of the inter-election period, as well as the pre-election period between 18 June – 14 August 2019.

The Promo-LEX election observation methodology has been developed on the basis of international standards in the field and involves both long-term and short-term observation. Thus, in this Observation Mission, Promo-LEX will present 5 intermediate election observation reports and a final report. Additionally, on the Election Day, the Association will issue press releases on the conduct of the elections, results of parallel vote-counting in the municipalities of Chisinau, Balti and Comrat and the evaluation of correctness of electoral processes on the election day based on a representative sample.

The first Promo-LEX OM Report contains the main findings and trends identified in the pre-election/ election period of October 20, 2019 elections.

Although the pre-election period was marked by uncertainties with regard to the date of the general local elections, the principle of stability of electoral law, was basically respected. However, the Promo-LEX OM considers that the approval in the final reading and the possible entry into force of the draft law no. 36 of 29.03.2019 for the modification of some legislative acts at the beginning of the electoral period may create uncertainties and difficulties in organizing and conducting the local elections.

Promo-LEX OM also points out some important issues that remain unsettled in the context of local elections: the lack of a legal mechanism to prevent the “artificial migration of voters”, voting of citizens that do not have a permanent place of residence or domicile, electoral bodies’ compliance with the provisions of Electoral Code in the context of issuing absentee voting certificates to voters, etc.

Furthermore, in legal terms, independent candidates are treated unequally, as compared to those designated by political parties and electoral blocks, as only they are required to collect signatures on subscription lists.

It is a priority for the Promo-LEX Observation Mission to monitor the financing of electoral campaign. In this regard, Promo-LEX will compare the expenses electoral competitors report to the CEC and the lower electoral bodies with the activities and expenses estimated following the civic observation.

Likewise, the OM will also monitor the use of hate speech by participants in the elections. Based on the monitored sources of information, the Association identifies cases of hate speech, the subjects that resort to hate speech in their electoral messages and those affected by this type of discrimination.

We remind the reader that the purpose of the Observation Mission is to inform the public about the conduct of the campaign, as well as to increase the citizens’ confidence in the electoral processes, to contribute to ensuring free and fair elections, carried out in accordance with international standards and national legislation. Promo-LEX remains the only non-governmental organization in the country that carries out an immense monitoring effort, delegating over 700 observers to settlements in the country, as well as to some PSs established abroad.

The full version of Report No. 1 can be accessed here.

The Observation Mission of October 20, 2019 General Local Elections is carried out by the Promo-LEX Association with the financial support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Democracy, Transparency and Accountability Program.

For more information, please contact:
Inga Stegarescu, Promo-LEX Association Press Officer
GSM: 069 26 96 84;
E-mail: [email protected]

17 September 2015, Chisinau – Promo-LEX Association launched on 17 September the Final Monitoring Report of the General Local Elections of 14 (28) June 2015. The document was discussed during a round table, with the participation of representatives of the relevant public institutions (Central Electoral Commission, Parliament Republic of Moldova, CCA, GPI, NAC etc.), civil society, mass media, and partners.

The report presents the performance of the key electoral stakeholders during the period between 3 April and 31 July 2015. Thus Promo-LEX Observation Mission has concluded that this year’s local elections were marked by a moderate participation of the population, a tight competition and satisfactory organization of the election by the relevant bodies.

See the Report here.

This year’s election started with the pre-election period marked by uncertainty regarding the organization of the election, and ECC had to amend the regulatory framework within less than a year until the elections, which is against the recommendations of the Venice Commission. With a few exceptions, the electoral bodies were set up within the time-frame set by the CEC electoral calendar and had, mostly, a correct and impartial behaviour towards the election candidates.

A major problem was the access to check the lists of voters, which has affected the voters’ trust in the electoral process, and the deficient interpretation of the electoral legislation on the preparation of the lists of voters based on residency has allowed the artificial migration of voters and has caused a few incidents involving violence and the ravaging of a polling station.

Promo-LEX mission also found that the current election campaign was latent in the beginning and became more dynamic in the last month, when the election candidates diversified the electioneering methods. Also, observers have worriedly identified isolated cases of violence and intimidation, use of provocative discourses leading to hatred against the counter-candidates, as well as the presents offered for electoral purposes.

Promo-LEX Observation Mission noticed a relative increase of the transparency level in reporting on the financial means used by the election candidates, but also the continuation of certain major shortcomings in this area. Also, in comparison with the Parliamentary Elections of 30 November 2014, Promo-LEX noticed less involvement of the local and regional mass-media in reflecting the election campaign for local elections.

On the basis of the findings of the final report, Promo-LEX Observation Mission formulated 42 recommendations for public authorities, election candidates and other relevant stakeholders aimed at improving the legal framework and the election procedures. The following are among the key recommendations:

• Develop, adopt and complement the Electoral Code with a new provision that would set a single date for the general local elections;
• Add norms to the Law on Personal Data Protection that would ensure transparency of and access to the lists of voters;
• Add norms to the Electoral Code that would ensure the exercise of the right to vote for voters who don’t have a domicile or residency;
• Amend the legal norms that regulate the votes recounting so that the expenses for the organization of the recounting to be covered by CEC if the initial results were found to be incorrect or by the party that has requested the recounting, if the initial results are confirmed;
• Establish a single financial threshold for all election candidates (independent candidates and candidates appointed by the political parties) at electoral constituency level, as well as establish the obligation of drafting financial reports for each electoral constituency;
• Ensure a mechanism to avoid the possibility of disguising the identity of the de facto donors of the election candidates (by wiring the financial resources to the party’s account and thereafter, to the electoral accounts through single transfers from the party’s account);
• Apply the existing gradual sanctions for the violation of the legislation on election campaigns financing, without selective approaches for some election candidates, political parties and/or independent candidates;
• Hold accountable the persons guilty of having used administrative resources, offered electoral presents, used forbidden symbols during the election campaign, instigated to violence and intimidated citizens.

The findings and recommendations of the Observation Mission for the 2015 General Local Elections were possible to be made thanks to the involvement of 1954 national observers. The recommendations result from the findings arrived to in more than 5786 reports obtained from Promo-LEX observers in the field, including 3719 comprehensive reports on visits, 1814 reports on events / incidents, 253 district reports and 1836 reports developed on the election day. Promo-LEX also conducted the Quick Count and the Parallel Vote Tabulation in three constituencies: Chisinau, Balti and Comrat.

The Final Monitoring Report of the 2015 General Local Elections is developed on the basis of four interim reports submitted during the election campaign and of 2 totalization reports on the election day.

We remind you that Promo-LEX Observation Mission declares itself to be neutral and equidistant towards the election candidates, it is not an investigation body and does not assume the express obligation to support the observers’ findings by evidence.

The General Local Elections of 14 (28) June 2015 were monitored by Promo-LEX Association under its Monitoring Democratic Processes Program. The Observation Mission is part of the activities, carried out by the civil society under the aegis of the Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections. The Observation Mission of the General Local Elections of 14 (28) June 2015 was supported financially U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Council of Europe and benefits of technical assistance provided by the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI).

For additional information, please contact: Simion Ciochină, Communication Officer of the 2015 General Local Elections Observation Mission, Tel: 0 (22) 49 26 84, GSM: (+373) 69 11 96 94, E-mail: [email protected].

29 June 2015, Chisinau// On the day of second-round General Local Elections of 2015, Promo-LEX Association performed the parallel vote tabulation in Chisinau and Comrat municipalities.  Promo-LEX observers collected data from 308 polling stations from Chisinau and 12 polling stations from Comrat

According to Pavel Postica, head of the Promo-LEX Observation Mission, the results of the parallel vote tabulation in Chisinau mun. do not differ significantly from the preliminary data announced by CEC. ”As reported by our observers, 163,544 persons voted for Dorin Chirtoaca, whereas the Central Electoral Commission presented 163,570 votes. Thus, there is a difference of 26 votes in the favor of the current mayor. At the same time, Zinaida Greceanii accumulated 141,953 votes, and CEC counted 141,929 votes, i.e. by 24 less. These figures are insignificant and occurred because 13 wrong protocols were registered in Chisinau. Most of these errors were made because some electoral officials were tired or trained insufficiently”, stated Pavel Postica.

See the Report here.

At the same time, the parallel vote tabulation performed by Promo-LEX Association in Comrat mun. corresponds fully with the CEC data. ”The preliminary voting outcomes show that candidate Serghei Anastasov accumulated 6357 votes, and Nicolai Dudoglo – 5119 votes”, stated Pavel Postica.

We remind that the Elections Observation Mission of Promo-LEX consisted of over 1500 national observers throughout the whole period of the General Local Elections of 2015. In addition, the Association conducted ”COME to VOTE!” Campaign, with the purpose of promoting informed and conscious voting among the electorate of the Republic of Moldova.

Promo-LEX Observation Mission declares itself to be neutral and equidistant towards the election candidates, it is not an investigation body and does not assume the express obligation to support the observers’ findings by evidence.

The General Local Elections of 14 (28) June 2015 are monitored by Promo-LEX Association under its Monitoring Democratic Processes Program. The Observation Mission is part of the activities, carried out by the civil society under the aegis of the Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections.

The Observation Mission of the General Local Elections of 14 (28) June 2015 is supported financially U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Council of Europe and benefits of technical assistance provided by the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI). The opinions presented in the press release belong to authors and do not necessarily reflect the donors’ view.

For additional information please contact: Simion Ciochina, Communication Officer of the Observation Mission for the 2015 General Local Elections, Tel: 0 (22) 49 26 84, GSM: (+373) 69 11 96 94, E-mail: [email protected]