The pre-election mission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has arrived in Moldova. The delegation is scheduled to visit Moldova from 16 to 19 September. The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) also sent its team of observers.
PACE representatives to meet President in Chisinau Maia SanduPresident of Parliament Igor Grošu and Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Kristina Gerasimova. They also plan consultations with the head of the National Integrity Authority Liliana KishkaChairman of the Television and Radio Council (STR) Liliana Vitsu and members of the Central Election Commission.
The mission is expected to hold talks with presidential candidates and political party leaders, representatives of non-governmental organizations and journalists.
The ODIHR team will be represented by 11 experts led by Ursula GáčekThe Office also requested OSCE participating States to second 26 long-term observers, who would be distributed in groups of two throughout the country. In addition, it plans to request 200 short-term observers who will arrive a few days before election day. The mission will assess the conduct of elections and referendums in accordance with international obligations and standards, as well as national legislation.
On election day, the ODIHR mission, together with delegations from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament, will observe the opening of polling stations, the voting process, the counting of votes and the central tabulation of results. In the event of a second round of presidential elections, the mission’s work schedule may be extended.
An interim report will be published approximately two weeks before the elections to inform the public and the media about the preparation for the electoral process. The day after the elections, the preliminary results and conclusions of the mission will be presented at a press conference. The final report, which will contain an evaluation of the entire electoral process and recommendations, will be published several months after the end of the elections.
At the same time, the authorities of the Republic of Moldova ignored the OSCE conclusions and recommendations stated in the final report on the monitoring of the 2023 local general elections in preparation for the presidential elections this year.
Let us recall that the presidential elections in Moldova will be held on October 20, the same day as the constitutional referendum on EU membership. The opposition has already announced that the authorities are preparing a falsification in the interests of the current head of state, Maya Sandu. At the same time, European partners are accused of double standards and unwillingness to realize the abuses of the Central Election Commission, which is under the political control of the PDS (the ruling party “Action and Solidarity”) and other officials who actively use administrative resources to eliminate competition.
