We condemn Russia’s military aggression against the people of Ukraine. War is the most barbaric way to deprive people of their rights. Through these aggressive actions, the Russian Federation has flagrantly violated international law and exposed to risk and violence not only the Ukrainian people and the international community, but also its own citizens.

In these conditions, the Promo-LEX Association expresses its readiness to provide assistance to the national authorities, but also to the Ukrainian citizens who are in dire need of help.

We call on international organizations to take all necessary action under international law to stop Russia’s aggression immediately. The response of international organizations and the community must include measures to discourage and sanction the aggressor state, but especially to protect the rights and civil liberties of the people of Ukraine.

In these difficult times, as never before in the last thirty years, it is important that all citizens of the Republic of Moldova, but also all political forces alike, show unity, solidarity, calm and responsibility.
At the same time, we urge the media in the Republic of Moldova to refrain from distributing false news, hate speech, propaganda, to combat misinformation and to report correctly and responsibly the topics related to the crisis in the region, using official sources of information. The information space of the Republic of Moldova must be secured urgently.

It is important that the authorities of the Republic of Moldova communicate continuously with its citizens, but also with civil society, in order to provide information on the measures taken at national level in the context of the announced exceptional situation.

Democracy, diplomacy and human rights must be a priority for the entire international community, but also for the authorities of the Republic of Moldova. Today’s realities have exposed our civilization to an enormous humanitarian crisis, and its outcome depends on the actions of each of us.

War, throughout human history, has been the most heinous means of upholding national interests. In our century, the century of reason and common sense, we must oppose this barbaric and inhuman practice and defend, at all costs, democracy and fundamental human rights.

We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and express our full support for their endurance in these extremely difficult times.

On February 15, 2022, the alleged  Prosecutor General of the Transnistrian region presented in Tiraspol an initiative on criminal sanctioning of persons who will file complaints or requests to the constitutional[1] and international institutions regarding cases of abuse or violation of human rights, committed by representatives of structures and de facto administration.

Thus, any appeal, including to the European Court of Human Rights or the UN Committees, could be criminally prosecuted on the left bank of the Dniester. The de facto administration of Tiraspol intends to punish with up to 7 years imprisonment the persons who file complaints or requests against the actions of the representatives of the de facto administration.[2]

The “draft law” completes the alleged current legal framework in this territory of the Republic of Moldova, which also provides for disproportionate sanctions, including deprivation of liberty for those who dare to criticize the actions or inactions of representatives of the de facto  administration on the left bank of the Dniester River.[3]

The ECHR found in 34 judgments out of the 51 pronounced until December 31, 2021, the violation of art. 6 and / or 13 of the Convention. That is to say, in over 66.6% of the decisions existing today on Transnistrian cases, the applicants did not receive a fair trial or did not benefit from an effective local remedy for the protection of their rights. Through this “draft law”, the de facto administration not only obviously ignores these figures and realities, but also strengthens its repressive system, with the aim, on the one hand, of maintaining the phenomenon of total impunity in the controlled territories and discouraging to raise awareness of the problems they face and, finally, to seek the help or protection of constitutional and international institutions and courts.

It should be noted that the initiative of this “draft law” belongs to the alleged prosecutor of the Transnistrian region, who was in fact identified as responsible for certain acts that violate human rights in at least 5 ECHR decisions.

In the context of the positive obligations of the constitutional authorities of the Republic of Moldova, as well as in the context of international commitments of the Government of the Republic of Moldova, international partners, diplomatic missions and human rights organizations, including the OSCE Mission to Moldova, Promo-LEX Association calls for:

• Rapid and effective political and diplomatic efforts to stop immediately and unconditionally any initiative or action by the de facto administration against the recognition, protection and defense of fundamental human rights on the left bank of the Dniester River.
• Conditioning certain economic and trade facilities or financing for the Transnistrian region with real guarantees and respect for human rights, including free movement of journalists, lawyers or human rights defenders, who can monitor the situation, defend victims of abuse and report the real situation in the field.
• Strengthen efforts to intervene effectively in cases of serious violations of fundamental human rights in the Transnistrian region (especially torture, abduction, deprivation of liberty, etc.), including the creation of an effective platform for reporting illegal activities in the region.
• Examine the appropriateness of imposing individual sanctions on persons who admit serious violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the region, including the application of a prohibition of circulation and the imposition of sanctions on their property outside the Transnistrian region.
• The Government of the Republic of Moldova invites the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, Mary Lawlor, to conduct an emergency visit and to report to the Commissioner of the Council of Europe on Human Rights.
• The Government of the Republic of Moldova should inform the mediators and observers of the 5 + 2 format about the actions of the Tiraspol administration aimed at discouraging people from filing complaints against violations of their rights.
• The Government of the Republic of Moldova should inform development partners investing in shares to promote human rights in connection with the actions of the Tiraspol administration contrary to the general principles of human rights.

________________________________________________________________________________

[1] Including the constitutional authorities of the Republic of Moldova

[2] http://www.vspmr.org/legislation/bills/vii-soziv/proekt-zakona-pridnestrovskoy-moldavskoy-respubliki-o-vnesenii-dopolneniy-v-ugolovniy-kodeks-pridnestrovskoy-moldavskoy-respubliki-.html

[3] GUIDE. How to become a DISIDENT in Tiraspol, https://promolex.md/20322-ghid-cum-sa-devii-disident-la-tiraspol/?lang=ro

The Promo-LEX Association regrets the statement of the Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita regarding the alleged interest of the Republic of Moldova in resuming the import of scrap metal for the Metallurgical Plant in Rabnita in order to avoid addressing the issues and serious cases of human rights violations in the Transnistrian region.

During the press conference on January 26, 2021 Natalia Gavrilita confirmed that the Government of the Republic of Moldova has requested the European Commission to review the decision on suspending the export of scrap metal to the Metallurgical Plant in Rabnita.

The Prime Minister mentioned that she acted in the best interests of investors who intend to operate on the right bank of the Dniester River, although she did not exemplify the extent to which the import of scrap metal into the Transnistrian region will develop the metallurgical branch in the territory controlled by the constitutional authorities.

This confusing answer raises doubts and concerns about the transparency of the decisions taken and possibly the existence of a parallel negotiation process, when it comes to fuelling the economic system on the left bank of the Dniester River. Or, it is obvious that the profits of the plant in the town. Ribnita is largely broken down by a regime that continues to violate seriously and blatantly the fundamental human rights and freedoms.

We are concerned that, in spite of our insistence and our many warnings and efforts, the constitutional authorities of the Republic of Moldova continue to fail to notify the European institutions and partners of the Republic of Moldova, to the same extent that steps are taken to guarantee the economic activity of some institutions from the left bank of the Dniester River.

The Government of the Republic of Moldova did not make the resumption of the import of scrap metal dependent on minimum guarantees of respect for human rights in the Transnistrian region. We will reiterate that in the region, citizens of the Republic of Moldova are detained illegally and without any grounds, to which the defenders or their relatives do not have access. We will mention the case of the young Adrian Glijin who has been in illegal detention for more than a year, the fate of political detainees and people who criticized the de facto administration. The intention of the illegal administration to restrict the access of the owners to the agricultural lands located in Dubasari district was left without any reaction. Dozens of ECHR rulings on thousands of victims awaiting compensation set by the European Court of Human Rights are also ignored. It is also not clear why the Government of the Republic of Moldova, having the necessary leverage to grant certain economic facilities to the structures on the left bank of the Dniester River, does not condition by solving systemic problems of violation of the right to education, free movement and guaranteeing other civil and political rights.

In this context, the Promo-LEX Association:

• Points out that issues related to the promotion and observance of human rights in the Transnistrian region must become the basis of any kind of negotiations, implicitly the political process of solving the Transnistrian equation.
• Reiterates the importance of consulting and involving in this complex process the representatives of the civil society, especially of the organizations that monitor the human rights situation in the territory on the left bank of the Dniester River and defend the victims of abuses.
• Calls on the Prime Minister, as well as the new Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, to make consistent and persistent efforts aimed at solving efficiently and effectively problems and phenomena of human rights violations in the Transnistrian region.

6 January 2021

We, the undersigned members of the Civic Solidarity Platform (CSP) and other NGOs are extremely concerned about the tense situation in Kazakhstan. In the light of rapidly evolving events, we urge all protesters to refrain from the use of violence and the authorities of Kazakhstan to ensure that all their actions taken in response to the protests strictly comply with their obligations under international human rights law and are aimed at de-escalating the situation peacefully.

The current situation evolved after peaceful protests against rising fuel prices in the town of Zhanaozen spread to several other cities across the country, with thousands of people participating and additional demands being voiced by protestors. On 5 January, clashes ensued in Almaty between law enforcement and security forces and protesters, some of which seized government buildings and other public property, including Almaty airport. Late on 5 January, a nation-wide state of emergency was declared in Kazakhstan following the earlier resignation of the government cabinet and a pledge by President Tokayev to use the ‘’harshest possible’’ measures against the protesters. There were reports of shooting, arson and acts of looting in Almaty at night. Yesterday President Tokayev requested assistance from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a military alliance between six post-Soviet states in order to combat a threat he classified as “terrorist”, and CSTO peacekeeping forces are reportedly already on their way to Kazakhstan.

According to official information, at least 300 people have been injured, and several dozen police officers and protesters have died during clashes. The exact number of casualties and deaths among protesters is unclear at this time, reinforcing concerns about disproportionate use of force. According to the authorities, over 200 persons have been detained so far during the protests across the country, although observers report that the real figure is much higher. According to observers, detainees have been denied access to lawyers and there are serious concerns about the failure to safeguard their right to due process and fair trials. There have been re-occurring internet outages in the country since yesterday and some journalists have reportedly been detained when carrying out their professional obligations. The well- documented pattern of systematic violations of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly in Kazakhstan reinforces our concerns regarding the current situation.

As the situation evolves, we continue to monitor the situation closely. We welcome the appeals for restraint and peaceful solutions made by representatives of the EU, OSCE, UN and other international institutions and foreign governments, and call on protesters to refrain from unlawful measures and on the authorities of Kazakhstan to:

• Ensure that the fundamental rights and freedoms of all residents are respected at all times, and that the current situation does not escalate into an armed conflict;
• Ensure that their response to the ongoing protests is in strict compliance with international human rights standards, in particular that non-violent means are exhausted in each case before the use of force, and that the use of force is proportionate, damage and injury is minimized and human lives protected;
• Respect the right of residents to peaceful assembly, freedom of expression and freedom of association and ensure that any restrictions imposed on these rights meet the requirements of international human rights law, including by distinguishing between peaceful and non-peaceful protest participants;
• Ensure that cooperation with CSTO forces is carried out strictly within the framework of international law and does not result in human rights violations;
• Provide full information about the number of people who have been detained in connection with the protests in the last few days, as well as where they are held, and ensure that they have prompt access to legal assistance, and that their right to freedom from torture and ill-treatment, due process and fair trials are respected;
• Provide full figures of the number of protesters who have been injured and killed, and ensure independent, transparent, prompt and effective investigation into these cases, as well as all cases of the use of force by law enforcement authorities and military resulting in casualties with a view to holding any official responsible for the excessive use of force accountable;
• Ensure that any measures taken to investigate and prosecute unlawful actions by protestors are in full accordance with due process requirements and Kazakhstan’s international obligations;
• Ensure respect of the right to freedom of information and unhindered access to different means of communication, including the internet;
• Refrain from detaining journalists who are covering the events as part of their professional duties and ensure the safety of journalists;
• Ensure that civil society representatives are able to monitor the situation without hindrance and allow representatives from the National Preventative Mechanism to visit detained protesters;
• Fully cooperate with the OSCE and the UN in resolving the current

________________________________________________________________________________

Signatories:

Association for Human Rights in Central Asia (France) Association UMDPL (Ukraine)

Belarusian Helsinki Committee (Belarus) Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (Bulgaria) Centre for Civil Liberties (Ukraine)

Centre for Participation and Development (Georgia)

Centre for the Development of Democracy and Human Rights (Russian Federation) Citizens’ Watch (Russian Federation)

Crude Accountability (The United States of America) Foundation of Regional Initiatives (Ukraine) Freedom Now (The United States of America)

Georgian Centre For Psychosocial And Medical Rehabilitation Of Torture Victims (GCRT) (Georgia)

Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly – Vanadzor (Armenia) Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (Poland) Human Rights Centre (HRC) (Georgia)

Human rights center Viasna (Belarus) Human Rights Center ZMINA (Ukraine) Human Rights Club (Azerbaijan) Human Rights Matter e.V. (Germany)

Human Rights Monitoring Institute (Lithuania)

Human Rights Movement “Bir Duino-Kyrgyzstan” (Kyrgyzstan) Hungarian Helsinki Committee (Hungary)

International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) (Belgium) KRF Public Alternative (Ukraine)

Lawtrend (Belarus) Legal Initiative (Belarus)

Libereco Partnership for Human Rights (Germany) Macedonian Helsinki Committee (North Macedonia) Netherlands Helsinki Committee (Netherlands) Norwegian Helsinki Committee (Norway)

Office of Civil Liberties (Tajikistan) Promo LEX (Moldova)

Protection of Rights without Borders (Armenia) Public Foundation Notabene (Tajikistan)

Public organization “Dawn” (Tajikistan) Public Verdict (Russian Federation) SOVA Center (Russian Federation)

Swedish OSCE-network (Sweden)

Swiss Helsinki Committee (Switzerland) Truth Hounds (Ukraine)

Vostok SOS (Ukraine)

The Promo-LEX Observation Mission (MO) presents the main findings on the conduct of the new local elections of 21 November (5/19 December 2021) in 15 localities in the Republic of Moldova. The mission included both observation of the campaign in the long run (6 observers) and on the election day (28 static observers in each polling station from 14 localities and four mobile teams of two observers in Bălți municipality).

Next, we draw attention to some of issues identified in these elections, as well as the need to improve the electoral legislation and practice.

An increased activism of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) in supervising and controlling the financial reporting process of contenders, was a distinctive feature of these elections. We remind that this election was organised by a new composition of CEC, which for most of the electoral period was incomplete, but functional. In this context, CEC seems to have applied the highest number of sanctions ever to candidates nominated by parties in the history of national elections. On the other hand, the district electoral council (DEC) did not review any financial statements of with regard to independent candidates.

Promo-LEX estimated that 13 contenders (3 independent candidates and 10 parties) failed to declare expenses of MDL 580,261. The highest undeclared amounts were estimated for PPȘ (51%), BECS (23%), Nicolai Grigorișin IC (17%) and PAS (8%). The biggest omissions are related to the reporting of expenses for staff delegation/secondment. Of the total expenses estimated as unreported, 95% were made by contenders in Bălți constituency. At the same time, according to Promo-LEX OM, in the case of electoral contender Marina Tauber, nominated by PPȘ, campaign expenses were estimated to exceed the legal ceiling approved for Bălți DEC by approximately MDL 253,093.

Before the second round of elections, CEC also found that electoral contender Marina Tauber used undeclared funds and materials amounting to at least MDL 34,260.00, and thus exceeded the maximum ceiling set for Bălți DEC by at least MDL 9514.80. Respectively, according to the law, CEC requested the court to de-register the electoral contender. As a result, on the morning of the Election Day on 5 December 2021, CEC decided to suspend the second round of voting in Bălți constituency.

Promo-LEX did not agree with the suspension by CEC of the second round of voting in Bălți municipality. According to Promo-LEX, the second round of elections in Bălți municipality should have been held on 5 December 2021, with seal ‘Withdrawn’ affixed next to the de-registered candidate. The argument used to support this position is that the electoral legislation allows neither suspending the second round of elections for reasons indicated in the CEC decision, nor replacing the withdrawn candidate. Thus, the new local elections in Bălți municipality once again highlighted the shortcomings of the Electoral Code on the organisation of the second round of elections.

The elections were generally competitive, but independent candidates, in particular female candidates, were again at a disadvantage. Independent candidates for local elections are required to collect support signatures, and those nominated by parties do not have this obligation. Also, the law does not provide that for local elections women candidates should collect fewer signatures than men candidates, following the example of Parliamentary elections.

In total, 52 candidates were registered in the 15 constituencies, 41 (79%) being nominated by 13 political parties and one electoral bloc, and 11 (21%) were independent candidates. Most candidates were nominated by PAS – 15 candidates, BECS – 9 candidates and PDM – 3 candidates. Only 29% of the total registered candidates were women, at the same time, out of 15 elected mayors, 7 (47%) are women.

Contenders are increasingly active online, and election campaigns are still marked by cases that may be classified as misuse of administrative resources. Promo-LEX OM observers reported that at least 362 election promotion activities were conducted by 15 electoral contenders. The most active competitors were: PPȘ (37%), PAS (21%), Nicolai Grigorișin IC (19%) and BECS (14%). The share of online advertising is constantly growing. The absolute majority of the campaign activities took place in Bălți municipality (82%).

At least 22 reported situations were qualified by Promo-LEX as misuse of administrative resources, most of which (15) relate to election meetings with employees of public institutions during working hours. For contenders, the distribution was as follows: Nicolai Grigorișin (IC) – 9; PPȘ – 7; PAS – 5; PAS – 1.

Election day for both rounds was generally calm, but marked by a low turnout, especially in the second round in Bălți municipality. PSs opened and closed regularly, in some cases with insignificant delays. Voting was generally organised efficiently. The vote counting was quick and calm. Promo-LEX observers received 23 alerts in the two rounds of voting, of which 19 were determined as incidents (14 in the first round and 5 in the second). Separately, we draw attention to two cases of intimidation and influence of observers by public persons.

In the first round, the turnout exceeded 1/4 of the number of voters registered in electoral rolls in each of the 15 constituencies, the elections being declared valid. At the same time, in the second round of elections in Bălți municipality voter turnout was 9.98% (10,218), which seems to be the lowest turnout in the history of elections in the Republic of Moldova.

MO Promo-LEX counted the votes in parallel for each round of elections. The final results calculated by Promo-LEX confirmed in both rounds, for all constituencies, the final results established by CEC.

Depending on their political affiliation, out of 15 mayoral positions, 4 (27%) were held by IC and 11 (73%) by representatives of 5 political parties, respectively. Most elected mayors were nominated by PAS – 7 (47%). Out of the total number of elected mayors, 7 (47%) are women, which is a good result from a gender perspective, or we recall that only 29% of registered candidates were women.

This press release was developed as part of the Observation Mission for the New Local Elections 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 Responsibility Program. The opinions set out in the public reports and press releases of Promo-LEX OM are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of funders or partners.

For more information, please contact:

Elena Răileanu-Seremac,
Communicator Officer at Promo-LEX Association
GSM: 069 895 515
e-mail:    [email protected]  

The Promo-LEX Observation Mission hereby presents the key findings of the second round of new local elections in Bălți, held on 19 December 2021. Four mobile teams consisting of two observers each, which monitored all the 60 polling stations (PSs), reported on the opening of polling stations, voting throughout the day and closing of polling stations.

In the second-round local elections, the candidate who gains the greatest number of votes shall be considered elected (Article 145(3) of the Electoral Code), regardless of the number of voters who took part in the election. Note, however, that only 9.98% of voters (10218) cast their votes, which seems to be the worst voter turnout in the entire electoral history of Moldova.

According to Promo-LEX observers, the monitored polling stations opened and closed as required by the rules. The vote counting was overall quick and uneventful. However, in one of the eight monitored PSs (PS 045), one observer – who, according to the PEB Chairperson, was a representative of the Centre for Legal Investigation and Human Rights Defence – engaged in the counting process, which demanded police attention to calm people down. In addition, as reported by the Promo-LEX observer, COVID-19 infection prevention measures were not observed in PS 045 during the voting and vote counting.  Another case (PS 051) concerned PEB members not filling in the documentation in the right order i.e. they failed to first fill in the special vote counting form, and only afterwards – the statement of votes, having done it the other way around.

The parallel vote tabulation performed by the Promo-LEX OM confirmed the preliminary results announced by the Central Electoral Commission (CEC). Of the total 60 statements of votes collected, 8 were picked up directly from the monitored electoral bureaus (PEBs), the remaining 52 having been taken from the district electoral councils (DECs) as they were being submitted by the PEB Chairpersons. There was a large number of ballot papers declared invalid – 1786 (i.e. 17.53%).

As a conclusion, we reiterate the need to clarify the Electoral Code provisions on the organisation of the second round of elections.  We remind, as background information, that the second round of local elections held on 19 December 2021 in Bălți Municipality, was initially scheduled for 5 December 2021, but was suspended by the Central Electoral Commission. Such a decision was made as an electoral contender was deregistered because of violating the provisions of the law on campaign financing.

This press release was developed as part of the Observation Mission for the New Local Elections 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 Responsibility Program. The opinions set out in the public reports and press releases of Promo-LEX OM are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of funders or partners.

For more information, please contact:
Elena Răileanu-Seremac,
Communication Officer at Promo-LEX Association
GSM: 069 895 515
e-mail: [email protected]

Promo-LEX Association carried out the monitoring and evaluation of public procurements made by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and General Police Inspectorate during 2016-2020 in the context of implementing the Police Development Strategy. The aim of the Evaluation Mission is to provide an objective image of the legality, transparency, efficiency and efficacy of the procurement of goods, services and works reported to the Strategy objectives. The experts developed a Report based on the key findings, which was published on 13 December 2021.

According to the provisions of the agreement signed in December 2016 between the Government and the European Commission, Republic of Moldova was to benefit from EUR 57 million as support for Police reform. Note that during the monitored period the amount of budget allocations from the component of support for Police reform amounted to MDL 593.1 million. The funds were managed by four institutions: General Police Inspectorate (GPI), Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), Integrated Training Center for Law Enforcement (ITCLE) and ‘Stefan cel Mare’ Academy of MIA.

A total number of 300 contracts were financed from the budget support and the average value of one contract amounted to MDL 2 million. In general, the funds were used in three key directions:

• construction and renovation of police stations, pre-trial detention facilities and buildings of GPI subdivisions (33% of about MDL 194 million);
• procurement of TETRA infrastructure and equipment (29% or about MDL 175 million);
• ensuring the Police with vehicles and their revamping (27% of about MDL 161 million).

As regards the distribution between institutions, the biggest allocations from the budget support, about 86.5%, were allocated to GPI (including its subdivisions), followed by MIA (10%), ‘Stefan cel Mare’ Academy (3.3%) and ITCLE (about 0.3%).

The implementation of the Police Development Strategy resulted in a significant increase in the volume of procurements made by the Police. Promo-LEX found that insufficient institutional capacities generated challenges in terms of staff and time for GPI and MIA in initiating and conducting those procurements. Thus, there were identified various problems related to the procurements, such as: failure to observe the principle of proportionality in formulating the qualification and selection requirements; discrepancies in developing the specifications for goods, works and services; admission of conflicts of interest; as well as inefficient approach to divide the procurement of goods into lots. At the same time, there wasn’t a single and efficient approach to establishing deadlines for contract implementation. The transparency aspects were ignored at different stages of the procurement process.

In order to strengthen the public procurement management, Promo-LEX experts formulated a series of recommendations, included in the final section of the report.

The report for the monitoring and evaluation of public procurements is available HERE.

The procurements related to the Police Development Strategy were evaluated under the ‘Civic monitoring of Police Reform in the Republic of Moldova’, implemented by Promo-LEX Association between 14 December 2018 and 13 December 2021, with the financial support of the European Union and co-financed by the East-Europe Foundation from resources provided by Sweden.

The opinions presented in the public reports of Promo-LEX belong to authors and do not necessarily reflect the donors’ view. If there are any discrepancies between the text in Romanian language and its translation in another language, the provisions in the Romanian version prevail.

For more information, please contact:

Elena Răileanu-Seremac,
Communicator Officer at Promo-LEX Association
e-mail: [email protected]
GSM: 069895515

Promo-LEX Association organised, on 9 December 2021, a round table discussion to present the Final Report on the Civic Monitoring of Police Development Strategy. The event took place in the context of completing ‘Civic Monitoring of Police Reform’ Project, implemented between 14 December 2018 and 13 December 2021.

The report presents the main achievements and drawbacks identified by monitoring the implementation of the 2016-2020 Police Development Strategy and of the 2017-2020 Policy Matrix for Budget Support Implementation. The document summarizes the findings and recommendations formulated in the five semestrial/annual reports produced earlier.

According to Promo-LEX experts, most of the assumed commitments were fulfilled at the beginning and at the end of Strategy implementation period. Regarding the extent to which the 5 objectives were achieved, out of the 84 activities planned, 27 were achieved (32%), 31 – achieved partially (37%), and other 15 are outstanding (18%). At the same time, the performance indicators for 11 activities (13%) were formulated too generally, and hence it was not possible to measure the extent to which they were achieved.

For more information about achievements and drawbacks in reform implementation, please see the infographic below.

The factors that affected the implementation of Police Development Strategy include: the Government changed three times, respectively there were three Ministers of Internal Affairs and four heads/interim heads of the General Police Inspectorate; staff turnover, moratorium over the vacancies at GPI and MIA, and the COVID-19 pandemic during the last year of reform implementation.

However, according to the Financial Agreement of ‘Support for Police Reform’ Program, concluded between the European Commission and Government of the Republic of Moldova, people’s trust in the police was established as an indicator to measure the impact of the reform. Thus, during the Strategy implementation period a trend of increasing people’s trust in the Police was noticed, from 25.8% in April 2016 to 40.9% in October 2020 (according to Public Opinion Barometer). However, this indicator is fluctuating and, in June 2021, the trust in Police dropped to 30.9%.

To ensure sustainability of the obtained results, and in order to remove the system-related problems we encourage MIA, GPI and other relevant public authorities to ensure continuity of police development efforts by developing and implementing new strategy papers. In this regard, Promo-LEX experts formulated a series of recommendations, included in the final section of the report.

The VIDEO recording of the Report presentation event can be accessed HERE.

For the Final Report on Civic Monitoring of Police Reform please click HERE.

The Report was developed by Promo-LEX Association as part of ”Civic monitoring of Police Reform in the Republic of Moldova”. The Project is supported financially by the European Union and co-funded by the US Embassy to Chisinau and East Europe Foundation from resources allocated by Sweden.

For more information, please contact:
Elena Răileanu-Seremac, Communicator Officer at Promo-LEX Association;
GSM: 069895515, e-mail: [email protected]

Promo-LEX Observation Mission (OM) presents its main findings with regard to the opening and closing of polling stations (PS), voting during the Election Day and incidents reported by observers in the second round of the new local elections held on November 21 (December 5) 2021. At the same time, we inform the audience about the results of the quick count of voting results, carried out by Promo-LEX OM in 12 polling stations in 5 settlements, where elections for the position of mayor were held[1]. A static short-term observer (STO) worked in each section.

We remind the reader that, according to the CEC Decision no. 170 of November 23, 2020, the second round of elections was to be held on December 5, in 6 settlements, including Balti municipality. However, on the morning of the Election Day, the CEC decided to suspend the holding of the second round of elections in Balti constituency due to the cancelation of the registration of an electoral contestant. Promo-LEX OM expressed its disagreement with the actions of the CEC, noting that the electoral law does not provide for the procedure of suspending the conduct of the second round of voting on the grounds indicated in the decision of the CEC[2].

The Promo-LEX Association considers that the second round of elections was to be organized under the conditions of art. 51. para. 7 of the Electoral Code, under which the PEB should have applied on the ballot paper the stamp with the mention “withdrawn” next to the candidate whose registration was canceled. Promo-LEX observers of the four mobile teams that were to observe the local elections in Balti confirmed that 60 polling stations did not open on the day of the second round of elections.

According to the observers, in the other five settlements, the voting was organized efficiently and was carried out smoothly. All 12 monitored PSs were regularly opened and closed, and the voting procedures were conducted in compliance with COVID-19 safeguards.

During the Election Day, the Promo-LEX OM identified four incidents, all in Cupcini electoral constituency. Two of them refer to a short-term power outage, which caused insignificant malfunctions in the operation of “Elections” State Automated Information System (PS 16/9, 10 Edinet, Cupcini). One incident is related to problems identified in the voters’ lists (PS 16/9 Edinet, Cupcini), and another – to the short-term acceptance of an observer (BECS), who did not present an ID card. All these incidents were promptly settled.

The closure of the observed PSs took place regularly. The counting of votes by the electoral bodies was generally quick and calm.

Traditionally, in these elections, the Promo-LEX MO carried out a parallel vote counting. All 12 protocols were obtained directly from the PEBs (Precinct Electoral Bureaus). The findings of Promo-LEX OM confirm the preliminary results announced by the Central Electoral Commission.

In the case of one protocol, the formula i = c + j could not be correctly applied. Thus, either the unused and canceled ballots or the signatures from the electoral lists were incorrectly counted.

Promo-LEX repeatedly draws the reader’s attention to the uncertain situation with regard to the finality of the electoral process in Balti constituency.

The press release has been drafted within the Observation Mission of the Local Elections of November 21 (December 5) 2021, conducted 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 views expressed in the public reports and press releases of Promo-LEX are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funders or partners. The contents of this document are subject to editorial revision.

If there are discrepancies between the text in Romanian and its translation into another language, the variant of the text in Romanian shall prevail.

For more information, please contact:

Elena Raileanu-Seremac,
Communication officer of the Promo-LEX Association
GSM: 069895515
e-mail: [email protected]
_________________________________
[1] Village of Opaci (Causeni district), commune of Hartop commune (Cimișlia district), town of Cupcini (Edinet district), village of Balceana (Hancesti district), commune of Cneazevca (Leova district).

[2] OPINION of the Promo-LEX Observation Mission in the new local elections with regard to the suspension of the second round of elections on December 5, 2021 in Balti municipal constituency.