See related documentsElection observation report
| Doc. 13671
| 26 January 2015
Observation of the parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova (30 November 2014)
1. Introduction
1. The Bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly decided,
at its meeting on 23 June 2014, to set up an ad hoc committee of
30 members, plus the two co-rapporteurs of the Monitoring Committee,
to observe the parliamentary elections of 30 November 2014, subject
to receiving an invitation from the authorities of the Republic
of Moldova. The Bureau also authorised a pre-electoral visit by
a five-member delegation – one member for each political group represented
on the ad hoc committee plus the two co-rapporteurs of the Monitoring
Committee. On 28 July 2014, the Chair of the Central Election Commission
(CEC) of the Republic of Moldova sent the Parliamentary Assembly
a letter of invitation to observe the parliamentary elections of 30 November.
On 2 September 2014, the Bureau approved the composition of the
ad hoc committee (see Appendix 1) and appointed Mr Jean-Claude Mignon
(France, EPP/CD) as its Chair.
2. On 4 October 2004, a co-operation agreement was signed between
the Parliamentary Assembly and the European Commission for Democracy
through Law (“Venice Commission”). Under Article 15 of this agreement,
“[w]hen the Bureau of the Assembly decides to observe an election
in a country in which electoral legislation was previously examined
by the Venice Commission, one of the rapporteurs of the Venice Commission
on this issue may be invited to join the Assembly's election observation
mission as legal adviser”. The Bureau invited a member of the Venice
Commission to join the ad hoc committee as an adviser.
3. The ad hoc committee operated in the framework of an International
Election Observation Mission (IEOM), which also included delegations
from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security
and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the European Parliament and the
Election Observation Mission of the Office for Democratic Institutions
and Human Rights of the OSCE (OSCE/ODIHR).
4. The Bureau had authorised a pre-electoral visit to the Republic
of Moldova from 4 to 7 November 2014 to assess the organisation
of the election campaign and the political climate prevailing in
the run-up to the election. The cross-party delegation consisted
of Jean-Claude Mignon (France, EPP/CD), head of delegation, Stefan
Schennach (Austria, SOC), Reha Denemeç (Turkey, EC), Ionut-Marian
Stroe (Romania, ALDE), Nazmi Gür (Turkey, UEL) and the co-rapporteurs
of the Monitoring Committee responsible for monitoring the Republic of
Moldova (ex officio) – Lise
Christoffersen (Norway, SOC) and Piotr Wach (Poland, EPP/CD). The
statement issued by the pre-electoral delegation following its visit
appears in Appendix 2.
5. The ad hoc committee met from 28 November to 1 December 2014
in Chisinau, where it met with leaders and representatives of the
parties contesting this election, the Chair of the CEC, the head
of the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission and his staff, the
heads of the Council of Europe Office in the Republic of Moldova,
the OSCE Mission in the Republic of Moldova and the European Union
delegation, and representatives of civil society and the media.
The programme of the ad hoc committee’s meetings is set out in Appendix
3.
6. On polling day, the ad hoc committee split into 16 teams which
observed the election in the cities and regions of Chisinau, Comrat,
Balti, Gagauzia, Orhei and Bender.
7. The IEOM concluded that the citizens of the Republic of Moldova
had been able to vote in a free and dignified manner. The 30 November
parliamentary elections were characterised by a wide choice of political alternatives
and were generally well administered, although the deregistration
of one electoral contestant shortly before election day raised questions
about the timing and circumstances. The newly elected parliament should
immediately begin implementing long-awaited reforms in order to
resolve socio-economic issues, tackle corruption, and adopt laws
on electoral campaign and party financing, in particular to ensure
transparency of sources of funding. The application of the law should
be fair and justice should never be selective. The press release
issued by the IEOM after the elections appears in Appendix 4.
8. The ad hoc committee wishes to thank the OSCE/ODIHR Election
Observation Mission and the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau
for their co-operation and support.
2. Political
context and legal framework
9. The parliamentary elections of 30 November 2014 were
the ninth since the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the
Council of Europe in 1995. The Parliamentary Assembly has observed
all parliamentary and presidential elections in the Republic of
Moldova since 1994.
10. The political scene in the Republic of Moldova changed considerably
in the period preceding the election campaign. In early 2013, the
governing coalition, the Alliance for European Integration – consisting
of the Liberal Democratic Party (PLDM), the Democratic Party (PDM)
and the Liberal Party (PL) –, was dissolved because of an internal
conflict over problems of corruption. On 5 March 2013, the Communist
Party of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) launched a vote of no confidence
against the government of Prime Minister Vlad Filat, leader of the
PLDM. Other parties belonging to the Alliance for European Integration
supported this initiative and the government was forced to resign.
Seven members (out of 12) of the Liberal Party left the group in
2013, but remained in the coalition under the name “Liberal Reformist
Party”, while Mr Mihai Ghimpu’s historic liberal party joined the
opposition.
11. Following a decision by the Constitutional Court stipulating
that the mandate of Prime Minister Filat could not be renewed, Mr
Iurie Leanca, a representative of the same party, the PLDM, was
appointed acting Prime Minister on 25 April 2013. This appointment
gave rise to the formation of a pro-European Union coalition of three
parties, the PLDM, the Liberal Reformist Party (PLR) and the PDM.
The new coalition was elected by a small majority (53 votes out
of 101) and was weakened following a number of defections, but it
remained united and enabled the parliament to complete its term
of office.
12. Parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova are governed
by the Constitution, the Electoral Code, the Law on Political Parties
and the regulations and decisions of the CEC. The election system
was a subject of debate. Legislation adopted on 17 April 2013 changed
the election system from proportional representation to a mixed
system. In view of the reaction from various stakeholders, the legislation
was repealed on 3 May 2013 and proportional representation was reinstated.
Subsequently, in early 2014, the ODIHR and the Venice Commission
adopted a joint opinion on a new draft law aimed at replacing the
existing proportional electoral system with a mixed system.
These amendments have never
been submitted to Parliament.
13. In its opinion adopted on 22 March 2014, the Venice Commission
said that “[t]he Election Code currently in force provides a good
basis for the conduct of democratic elections in the country, although
it could be improved, in particular concerning the seat allocation
methodology and the thresholds established in the last reform. Nevertheless,
the key challenge for the conduct of genuinely democratic elections
remains the exercise of political will by all stakeholders, to uphold
the letter and the spirit of the law, and to implement it fully
and effectively”.
14. The 101 members of the unicameral parliament are elected for
four years under a voting system based on proportional representation
in one single nationwide constituency. For an election to be valid,
the legislation requires the participation of at least one third
of the registered voters. If this is not the case, new elections
are held within two weeks without any minimum participation requirement.
In the previous parliamentary elections held on 28 November 2010,
the PCRM obtained 39.32% of the votes and 42 seats, the PLDM 29.42%
and 32 seats, the PDM 12.72% and 15 seats and the PL 9.96% and 12
seats.
15. In May 2013, the minimum thresholds for representation in
parliament were raised to 6% (from 4%) for political parties, to
9% (from 7%) for electoral blocs composed of two parties, and to
11% (from 9%) for blocs composed of three parties or more. For independent
candidates, the threshold was kept at 2%. These thresholds had already
been changed several times in the past. The OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission
have repeatedly recommended lowering them.
16. The Parliamentary Assembly emphasised in its
Resolution 1955 (2013) on the honouring of obligations and commitments by the
Republic of Moldova that “[e]lectoral processes have been a continuous
bone of contention between the majority and the opposition. Completion
of the electoral reforms should therefore be considered as a priority
area for the authorities. The Assembly stresses the need for the
Moldovan authorities to respect international standards in electoral
matters, particularly the ‘Code of good practice in electoral matters’
of the Venice Commission”.
17. Several additional proposals for amendments to the electoral
framework were before the outgoing parliament, including proposals
for the introduction of a gender quota for party lists, lengthening
of the period for voting abroad and revision of the rules on financing
of political parties and election campaigns.
The Parliamentary
Assembly’s ad hoc committee regrets that the outgoing parliament
did not adopt, before the 30 November elections, the legislative
amendments concerning, in particular, the financing of political
parties and election campaigns and the draft law on the introduction
of temporary quotas to promote the participation of representatives
of the under-represented sex in public life, including on election
lists.
3. Electoral administration,
registration of candidates and voters
18. Parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova
are administered by a three-tier electoral administration comprising
the Central Election Commission (CEC), district electoral councils
(DECs) and precinct electoral bureaus (PEBs). The CEC is a permanent
body consisting of nine members appointed for a five-year term of
office.
19. The CEC informed the members of the ad hoc committee that
35 DECs and 2 073 PEBs had been established for the 30 November
2014 elections. As in previous elections, no polling took place
in Transnistria, which since 1992 is de
facto not under the Moldovan Government’s control. Moldovan
voters in the Transnistria region were able to vote in one of the
26 polling stations designated for this purpose.
20. In April 2014, the Electoral Code was amended and a central
register of voters was introduced. On election day, polling stations
were supposed to identify and record voters on line to guard against
the possibility of double voting. According to the observations
of members of the ad hoc committee, the electronic system for identifying
and recording voters broke down about an hour after the polling
stations visited had opened. This technical problem had no impact
on the proper conduct of the election, but led to long queues at
a great many polling stations.
21. The electoral rolls were compiled on the basis of the Central
Register of Voters. According to figures provided by the CEC, 3 226 446
voters in all were registered on the electoral rolls, compared with
2 734 000 in the 2010 elections. According to the CEC, this increase
was due to the inclusion on the electoral rolls of Moldovan voters
resident in the Transnistria region. For the first time, voters
with former Soviet Union passports were not to be allowed to use
them as ID on polling day. On 18 November, the CEC took the decision
to authorise the use of expired identity cards and passports, except
for former Soviet Union passports. In this connection, some of the
ad hoc committee’s interlocutors voiced concern over the lack of
a uniform approach regarding the use of identity documents. The
ad hoc committee wishes to stress, however, that the CEC made a
great effort to ensure that the persons concerned were able to obtain
new identity documents before the date of the election.
22. As in previous elections, one of the main challenges for the
CEC was the very large number of Moldovan citizens in other countries.
Different sources put the figure at between 700 000 and 900 000
out of a total of 3.2 million registered voters. The decision on
the number of PEBs in foreign countries was taken by the Moldovan
Government on 20 October on the basis of proposals from the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, taking due account of the security and logistical
requirements that needed to be met in order to ensure the smooth
running of the electoral process and the ballot itself. The government
decided to open 95 polling stations in foreign countries, the largest
number being in Italy (25).
23. A number of interlocutors drew the ad hoc committee’s attention
to the fact that the geographical distribution of these polling
stations in various foreign countries was motivated more by political
than by logistical considerations and did not correspond to the
number of Moldovan citizens living in the countries concerned. Preference
was allegedly given to the countries of Western Europe, although
the largest Moldovan community was in Russia, where only five polling
stations were opened. The Socialist Party of the Republic of Moldova
(PSRM) challenged this decision of the CEC three times, but its
applications were dismissed by the court. In its statement of 7
November 2014, the Assembly’s pre-electoral delegation expressed
concern at the unbalanced distribution of the 95 polling stations
abroad.
24. At the request of the leaders of the PSRM, which was campaigning
for Moldova’s accession to the Eurasian Customs Union, the Russian
Federal Migration Department changed the rules at the beginning
of November to allow Moldovan citizens illegally present in Russia
to leave Russian territory between 5 and 30 November to take part
in the elections in Moldova and return to Russia without hindrance.
25. The CEC registered 26 lists, including 21 political parties,
one bloc of political parties and 4 independent candidates. The
total number of candidates registered was 1 885, around 31% of whom
were women. Individual candidates were required to collect at least
2 000 signatures of support from eligible voters. Political parties
are allowed to change their list of candidates up to one week before
polling day. Belated changes in the list of candidates may adversely
affect the ability of voters to familiarise themselves with the
names appearing on party lists.
26. At an extraordinary session held on 26 November, the CEC decided
by seven votes to two to ask the Court of Appeal to cancel the registration
of the Parti Patria (PP). The request was based on a police investigation
showing that the PP had violated the legislation on the financing
of election campaigns by receiving money from abroad.
The
PP appealed to the Supreme Court of the Republic of Moldova, which upheld
the decision of the Court of Appeal on 29 November.
27. In this connection, the IEOM declared after the elections
that “[t]he 30 November parliamentary elections were characterised
by a wide choice of political alternatives and were generally well
administered, although the de-registration of one electoral contestant
shortly before election day raised questions about the timing and circumstances”.
4. Election campaign,
campaign funding and media coverage
28. During its visit to the Republic of Moldova from
4 to 7 November, the Assembly’s pre-electoral delegation met the
President of the Republic of Moldova, the Prime Minister, the Speaker
of Parliament, the leaders of the main political parties standing
in the elections, the Chair of the Central Election Commission,
the Chair of the Audiovisual Co-ordination Council and representatives
of the international community, NGOs and the media.
29. The delegation found that the election campaign was open and
conducted in a calm atmosphere and that the political parties and
candidates were able to conduct their campaign freely. The major
political issues focused on matters to do with European integration
or closer relations with the Eurasian Customs Union and the Russian
Federation as well as on anti-corruption issues, unemployment, retirement
pensions, the public health-care system and the education system.
The delegation was also informed about a small number of cases of
religious representatives participating in the election campaign
in support of certain political parties. In this connection, the
delegation issued a reminder in its pre-election statement of the
principle of the separation of Church and State in a democracy.
30. The political landscape in the Republic of Moldova has undergone
constant change. Some communist MPs have left the PCRM. Mr Igor
Dodon founded the PSRM, which conducted an open campaign in favour
of the Eurasian Customs Union and closer relations with Russia and
against the policy of European integration. The PSRM called for
a referendum for the Republic of Moldova to join the Eurasian Customs
Union. A new face has appeared on the political scene: the businessman
Renato Usatiy, who joined the Patria Party, which conducted a campaign
in favour of the Eurasian Customs Union and fiercely criticised
the pro-European coalition government.
31. Some influential members of the PCRM left the party and decided
to set up the “Antifa” movement, the alleged objective of which
is to combat fascist demonstrations and which is in favour of the
Republic of Moldova joining the Eurasian Customs Union. During the
election campaign, the PCRM opted for an approach advocating a “third
way” to enable a strategic partnership to be maintained both with
the Eurasian Union and with Russia.
32. According to PLDM representatives, the election campaign was
calm and peaceful, although the military conflict in the neighbouring
country of Ukraine was on Moldovan citizens’ minds. After the elections,
the PLDM indicated its intention to implement the association agreement
with the European Union. Party leaders mentioned the Russian influence
on the election campaign, especially the Russian-language media,
and the fact that certain political parties, especially the PSRM
and the PP, set up in 2014, were allegedly supported by and received
funding from Russia.
33. The leader of the PDM said that the results of the 30 November
elections would clarify the strategic orientation of the Republic
of Moldova’s foreign policy – was it going to continue to consolidate
its European integration policy or not? According to the PDM, the
major concerns of the Moldovan electorate were unemployment, salary
levels, the social security system, the education system, the consequences
of the Russian embargo and security worries. The two latter issues
were said to have influenced public opinion on the ideas of European
integration. After the elections, the PDM said it would not be able
to join the government coalition with the political forces that
were against the implementation of the association agreement with
the European Union and were in favour of the Eurasian Customs Union.
34. The representatives of the PL stressed their party’s attachment
to European values. The PL criticised the media coverage of the
election campaign since many media belong to the oligarchs who appeared
on the lists of some political parties. Another problem concerning
the media was the very high rates for television election advertising,
which not all political parties could afford.
35. The leader of the PSRM criticised the pro-European government
coalition and supported close and strategic relations with the Russian
Federation. One major problem was the insufficient number of polling stations
opened in various countries, especially Russia, where there were
only five for hundreds of thousands of Moldovan voters. The PSRM
mentioned the risk of election fraud in polling stations situated
in foreign countries as there were not enough observers. The party
intended to send observers to all 95 polling stations abroad.
36. The leader of the PCRM said he was concerned about the lack
of transparency regarding the sources of funding of political parties
and the media, stressing that his party had advocated adopting draft
laws in that area before the elections. According to the PCRM, the
television channels were controlled by oligarchs close to the parties
of the pro-European coalition. He also criticised the lack of transparency
regarding media ownership. According to him, some so-called left-wing
parties especially Mr Dodon’s PSRM and Mr Usatiy’s Patria, mainly
focused their attacks on the communist party, and those parties
were funded from abroad, which was a danger to the security of the
Republic of Moldova.
37. As far as campaign and party funding is concerned, despite
the recommendations of the Venice Commission and the Group of States
against Corruption (GRECO), the legal framework remains inadequate because
the outgoing parliament did not amend the legislation before the
elections.
The CEC’s terms of reference
and its abilities to audit political parties’ reports on their campaign
accounts are limited. On 7 October, the CEC imposed on political
parties an election campaign expenditure ceiling of 55 million lei
(approximately 3 million euros) and on individual candidates a ceiling
of 2 million lei. This ceiling was more than double that of the
2010 parliamentary elections but without any strengthening of the
legal control mechanisms or increase in the penalties applicable.
38. Several interlocutors, including representatives of the country’s
authorities, informed the Assembly’s pre-electoral delegation during
its visit to Chisinau about a lack of transparency in the sources
of political party funding. A considerable proportion of the general
public is convinced that corruption is common in the Republic of
Moldova. The delegation was also informed about the alleged use
of “dirty money” from abroad during the election campaign.
39. The Assembly delegation expressed its deep concern about the
high level of campaign expenditure and the role played by oligarchs
in the country’s political life, especially the electoral process.
This aspect is particularly worrying in a country that faces serious
economic and social problems and a high level of poverty. The delegation
also disapproved of the involvement of local businessmen in the
indirect funding of the election campaign. The ad hoc committee
also wishes to stress that the application of the law on campaign
and political party funding must be fair and equitable and that
justice must on no account be selective.
40. As far as media coverage of the election campaign is concerned,
various interlocutors said there had been improvements in the coverage
provided by public service broadcasters and that a wide range of
opinions had been expressed in the different media. According to
the ODIHR media monitoring report, the television channel Moldova
1, Radio Moldova and Pro TV Chisinau provided coverage that was
generally balanced. However, serious concerns remain: the opaque
sources of funding of some media outlets whose holding companies
are allegedly registered offshore, the lack of transparency concerning
media ownership, the control of the media by various oligarchs and
their close relationship with the political parties. The delegation
also noted that the majority of the media remain divided along political
and linguistic lines. It also regretted the influence on the election
campaign of media established abroad and the impact of news programmes
from these media on the electorate’s choice.
5. Polling day
41. Polling day was calm and peaceful and voting was
well organised. Voting operations and vote counting generally took
place in a professional manner and in a calm atmosphere. Polling
station staff fully co-operated with the observers. The members
of the ad hoc committee noted the presence of a large number of
women among the polling station staff, as well as of representatives
of various political parties in all the polling stations visited.
42. The ad hoc committee identified a number of technical issues
in the polling stations visited:
- about
an hour after the polling stations opened, the electronic voter
identification and registration system failed in virtually all the
polling stations visited. This technical fault created long queues
but had no adverse impact on the voting process;
- in some polling stations, this situation created some
operational disorder, but the observers noted no tensions or attempts
at manipulation:
- polling stations were poorly equipped for the organisation
of the vote;
- overall, for people with reduced mobility the polling
stations were either inaccessible or difficult to access;
- difficulties in finding some polling stations in rural
localities as the addresses were not clearly posted;
- in one polling station visited, in the Dubasari area,
voters were taken by bus to vote mainly on additional lists;
- cases were noted of unintended non-compliance with vote
counting procedures in some polling stations;
- cases were noted of unintended non-compliance with procedures
for drawing up protocols and the failure to declare this fact after
the count.
43. On 4 December 2014, the CEC announced the results of the parliamentary
elections of 30 November 2014. The turnout was 55.86%. Five parties
passed the threshold of 6%: the PSRM with 20.51%, obtaining 25 seats;
the PLDM with 20.16% and 23 seats; the PCRM with 17.48% and 21 seats;
the PDM with 15.91% and 19 seats; and the PL with 9.67% and 13 seats.
6. Conclusions
and recommendations
44. The Assembly’s ad hoc committee concluded that on
30 November 2014 the citizens of the Republic of Moldova were able
to make their choice freely. The parliamentary elections were characterised
by a wide choice of political alternatives and were generally well
organised.
45. The ad hoc committee noted that the electoral code currently
in force is a good basis for the organisation of democratic elections
in the country, even though there is room for improvement, especially
as regards the formula for the allocation of seats and the thresholds
laid down at the time of the last reform. The ad hoc committee considers
that belated changes in the list of candidates, up to one week before
polling day, may adversely affect the ability of voters to familiarise
themselves with the names appearing on party lists. The ad hoc committee
is convinced that holding really democratic elections mainly depends
on the political will, which must be demonstrated by all concerned,
to observe both the letter and spirit of the law. The ad hoc committee regrets
that, contrary to the Venice Commission’s recommendations, the electoral
law was recently amended to raise the election threshold. An electoral
reform should be carried out well ahead of elections on the basis of
a broad consensus between the main political parties.
46. The ad hoc committee noted that the election campaign generally
took place in a calm atmosphere. It was dominated by debates on
European integration or on closer relations with the Eurasian Customs
Union. The ad hoc committee is pleased to emphasise that, unlike
in previous election campaigns, the Assembly delegation’s interlocutors
mentioned no cases of the abuse of administrative resources or of
problems with the accuracy of voter lists.
47. As far as the funding of the campaign and political parties
is concerned, the ad hoc committee regrets that the outgoing parliament
did not amend the legislation on the subject before the 30 November
elections despite Assembly Resolution 1955 (2013) calling for the
implementation of effective reforms.
48. The Assembly delegation expresses its concern about the high
level of campaign expenditure and the role played by oligarchs in
the country’s political life, especially the electoral process.
This aspect is particularly worrying in a country that faces serious
economic and social problems and a high level of poverty. A considerable
proportion of the general public is convinced that corruption is
common in the Republic of Moldova. The delegation was also informed
about the use during the election campaign of money from abroad. The
ad hoc committee also wishes to stress that the application of the
law on campaign and political party funding must be fair and equitable
and on no account be selective.
49. The ad hoc committee noted improvements in the coverage of
the election campaign by public service broadcasters, especially
the television channel Moldova 1 and Radio Moldova, as well as the
fact that a wide range of opinions were expressed in the different
media. However, serious concerns remain: the opaque sources of funding
of some media outlets whose holding companies are allegedly registered
offshore; the lack of transparency concerning media ownership; the
control of the media by various businessmen and oligarchs and their
close relationship with political parties. The delegation also noted
that the majority of the media remain divided along political and
linguistic lines. It also regretted the influence on the election
campaign of media established abroad and the impact of news programmes
from these media on the electorate’s choice.
50. The election administration was professional and transparent
and generally enjoyed the confidence of the main political players.
Nonetheless, some interlocutors wondered about the timing and circumstances
of the deregistration of one of the candidates three days before
polling day and about the unbalanced distribution of the 95 polling
stations set up abroad. The Assembly’s delegation expressed concern
at the unbalanced distribution of the polling stations abroad which
did not correspond to the number of Moldovan citizens living in the
countries concerned.
51. The ad hoc committee believes that the Parliamentary Assembly
should continue its close co-operation with the newly elected parliament
of the Republic of Moldova, through its monitoring procedure, and
with the Venice Commission, in order to resolve the issues raised
during the 30 November 2014 parliamentary elections and to further
consolidate the entire election process. The Council of Europe and
its Parliamentary Assembly should, through their various co-operation
programmes, continue to help the Republic of Moldova to implement these
important reforms.
Appendix 1 – Composition
of the ad hoc committee
(open)
Based on the proposals by the political groups
of the Assembly, the ad hoc committee was composed as follows:
- Jean-Claude MIGNON (France,
EPP/CD), Chairperson of the ad hoc committee
- Socialist Group (SOC)
- Stefan SCHENNACH,* Austria
- Andreas GROSS, Switzerland
- Paolo CORSINI , Italy
- Luc RECORDON, Switzerland
- Florin IORDACHE, Romania
- Predrag SEKULIĆ, Montenegro
- Maria GIANNAKAKI, Greece
- Group of the European People’s
Party (EPP/CD)
- David
BAKRADZE, Georgia
- Hans FRANKEN, Netherlands
- Thierry MARIANI, France
- Jean-Claude MIGNON,* France
- Marcel OBERWEIS, Luxembourg
- Anne-Mari VIROLAINEN, Finland
- Emanuelis ZINGERIS, Lithuania
- Volodymyr ARIEV, Ukraine
- Bernd FABRITIUS, Germany
- Alliance of Liberals and Democrats
for Europe (ALDE)
- Corneliu
Mugurel COZMANCIUC, Romania
- Ionut-Marian STROE,* Romania
- Luis Alberto ORELLANA, Italy
- European Conservatives Group
(EC)
- Reha DENEMEÇ,*
Turkey
- Ingebjørg GODSKESEN, Norway
- Group of the Unified European
Left (UEL)
- Co-rapporteurs of the Monitoring
Committee (ex officio)
- Lise
CHRISTOFFERSEN,* Norway
- Piotr WACH,* Poland
- Venice Commission
- Manuel GONZALEZ OROPEZA, Mexico
- Secretariat
- Chemavon CHAHBAZIAN, Head of
Secretariat, Interparliamentary Co-operation and Election Observation
Division
- Danièle GASTL, Assistant
- Anne GODFREY, Assistant
- Amaya UBEDA DE TORRES, Administrator, Venice Commission
- Grégoire DEVICTOR, Interpreter
* members of the pre-electoral delegation
Appendix 2 – Statement by
the pre-electoral delegation
(open)
Strasbourg, 07.11.2014 – “European integration
or closer relations with the Customs’ Union – this is the key issue
of the election campaign,” declared a delegation of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) at the end of a pre-electoral
mission to the Republic of Moldova to assess the campaign and political climate
prior to the 30 November parliamentary elections.
The delegation, which visited the country from 5 to 6 November,
notes that, in general, the election campaign is calm and political
parties and candidates have the opportunity to campaign freely.
A number of interlocutors expressed voters’ concerns with regard
to unemployment, pensions, the healthcare system and education. Some
interlocutors described cases of misuse of administrative resources
and vote-buying. The delegation was also informed of limited cases
of religious representatives becoming involved in the election campaign
in support of certain political parties. In this regard, the delegation
recalls the principle of respect for the separation between church
and state in a democracy.
The Electoral Code of the Republic of Moldova provides a good
basis for the conduct of democratic elections. The delegation underlines
that the key challenge for the conduct of genuinely democratic elections
remains the willingness of political parties to exercise the political
will to uphold both the letter and the spirit of the law, and to
implement it fully and effectively. Recent amendments to the electoral
legislation increased the electoral threshold, contrary to Venice
Commission recommendations. The PACE delegation recalls that discussions about
electoral reform were to be expected. The electoral reform should
be conducted on the basis of a wide consensus among the main political
parties, and well in advance of the election.
Various interlocutors, including representatives of the authorities,
informed the delegation about a lack of transparency of the sources
of financing of political parties. The perception of corruption
in the Republic of Moldova is widespread in public opinion. The
delegation was also informed about the use of “dirty money” during
election campaigns, coming from abroad.
The Assembly delegation expresses its deep concern with regard
to the significant campaign expenditure as well as the role played
by businessmen and oligarchs in the political life of the Republic
of Moldova, especially in the electoral process. This is of particular
concern in a country facing serious social and economic problems and
high level of poverty. The delegation also questions the interference
of businessmen at local level in the indirect financing of the election
campaign.
The rules governing the funding of political parties and election
campaigns remain inadequate. In this regard, the Assembly delegation
recalls that the Venice Commission recommended the adoption of a
law on the financing of political parties and election campaigns,
and regrets that the Parliament has not adopted such a law.
Some interlocutors pointed out improvements in media coverage
by public broadcasters and a wide range of opinions appearing in
different media. Nevertheless, several issues of serious concern
remain: the opacity of the sources of financing of some media outlets,
whose holding companies are allegedly registered off-shore, a lack
of transparency concerning their ownership, the control of media
by a number of businessmen and oligarchs, and their close ties to
political parties. The delegation also noted that the majority of
media remain divided along political and linguistic lines. It also
noted the influence on the election campaign of media established
abroad and the negative impact of news programmes from these media
on the informed choice of the electorate.
The delegation noted that the Central Election Commission,
in general, enjoys the confidence of the main political stakeholders.
The creation of an electronic electoral register should limit the
need for supplementary voters’ lists. The delegation is concerned
about the unbalanced distribution of the 95 polling stations abroad. The
delegation calls upon Moldovan voters to take an active part in
these crucially important elections for the future of their country.
The Assembly delegation invites the authorities to take speedy
and efficient measures to ensure the conditions are in place for
all Moldovans to express their will freely during the campaign and
on election day.
In Chisinau, the delegation met the President of the Republic,
the Prime Minister, the Speaker of Parliament, leaders of political
parties participating in the elections, the Chairman of the Central
Electoral Commission, the Chairman of the Audiovisual Co-ordinating
Council, representatives of the international community, NGOs and the
media.
A full 32-member delegation from the Assembly will return
to the country to observe the elections.
Members of the delegation: Jean-Claude Mignon (France, EPP/CD),
head of the delegation, Stefan Schennach (Austria, SOC), Reha Denemeç
(Turkey, EC), Ionut-Marian Stroe (Romania, ALDE), Nazmi Gür (Turkey,
UEL)
Co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of the Republic of Moldova:
Lise Christoffersen (Norway, SOC), Piotr Wach (Poland, EPP/CD)
Appendix 3 – Programme of
the election observation mission (28 November-1 December 2014)
(open)
Friday
28 November 2014
09:00-10:00 Meeting of the PACE ad hoc committee:
- Briefing regarding the pre-electoral
mission by Mr Jean-Claude Mignon, Chairperson
- Briefing by the members of the pre-electoral mission
- Briefing by Mr José-Luis Herrero, Head of the Council
of Europe Office in the Republic of Moldova
- Briefing on recent changes in electoral legislation, by
Mr Manuel Gonzalez Oropeza, Venice Commission
- Practical and logistical arrangements, Secretariat
Joint parliamentary
briefings:
Friday 28 November
2014
10:30-11:00 Opening by the Heads of parliamentary delegations
- Mr Emin Onen, Special Co-ordinator
and Leader of the OSCE short-term observers
- Mr Jean-Claude Mignon, Head of the PACE delegation
- Mr Igor Šoltes, Head of Delegation, European Parliament
11:00-11:30 Introduction by Heads of Local Offices:
- Mr Jan Plesinger, Assistant
to the Head of the OSCE Mission to the Republic of Moldova
- Mr José-Luis Herrero, Head of the Council of Europe Office
in the Republic of Moldova
- Ambassador Pikka Tapiola, Head of the EU delegation in
the Republic of Moldova
11:30-12:15 Election administration:
- Mr Iurie Ciocan, Chairperson of the Central Election Commission
(CEC)
13:45-15:15 Briefing by Ambassador Jan Petersen, Head of the
OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission and members of his team
15:15-19:00 Meetings with representatives of the political
parties:
- Mr Valeriu Ghiletchi,
member Liberal Democrat Party of Moldova (LDPM)
- Mr Sergiu Sirbu, member of the Democratic Party (PDM)
- Mr Artur Resetnicov, Election Campaign Manager of the
Communist Party of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM)
- Mr Ion Ceban, member of the Socialist Party of the Republic
of Moldova (PSRM)
- Ms Corina Fusu, First Vice-President of the Liberal Party
(LP)
- Mr Ion Hadirca, President of the Liberal Reformist Party
(PLR)
- Mr Grigore Petrenco, member of the Patria Party
Saturday 29 November
2014
09:00-10:15 Meetings with representatives of NGOs:
- Mr Pavel Postica, Promolex,
Head of the Monitoring Section
- Mr Igor Botan, Association for participative democracy
(ADEPT)
- Mr Nicolae Pamfil, Coalition for free and fair elections
- Mr Petru Macovei, Association of independent press
- Mr Cristian Ciobanu, Association partnership for development
10:15-11:45 Meetings with representatives of the media:
- Ms Julia Gutuleac, Audiovisual
Council
- Mr Constantin Vulpe, TV Channel Moldova 1
- Mr Tudor Darie, Unimedia.info, Co-founder and Director
- Mr Roman Malinovschi, Director, Accent TV
- Ms Eugenia Nastase, Editor-in-Chief, Jurnal TV
- Ms Alina Radu, Director, Ziarul de Garda newspaper
11:45-12:15 Meeting with the OSCE/ODIHR election observation
mission
12:15 Distribution of observation questionnaires, information
on statistical analysis and security issues
Meeting with Long Term Observers for Chisinau followed by
the meeting with drivers and interpreters
Sunday 30 November
2014
07:00-21:00 Observation in polling stations
After 21:00 Observation of closing and counting
Monday 1 December
2014
08:00-09:00 Debriefing meeting of the PACE ad hoc committee
for members deployed in Chisinau and in the regions
15:00 Press conference
Appendix 4 – Press release
of the International Election Observation Mission (IEOM)
(open)
Elections
in Moldova were generally well administered, in a campaign influenced
by geopolitical aspirations, say international observers
Strasbourg, 01.12.2014 – The 30 November parliamentary elections
in Moldova were characterised by a wide choice of political alternatives
and were generally well administered, although the de-registration
of one electoral contestant shortly before election day raised questions
about the timing and circumstances, international election observers
said in a statement issued today. While contestants enjoyed unimpeded access
to the media, political influence in broadcast media led to partisan
reporting.
“A largely well-run election offered voters the opportunity
to choose their preferred candidates and even geopolitical aspirations,
which was at the heart of the campaign,” said Emin Önen, Special
Co-ordinator and leader of the short-term OSCE observer mission.
“That said, the late removal of a highly visible party from the ballot
cast a shadow over the final days.”
Against the backdrop of the country’s geopolitical aspirations,
candidates were able to compete in a peaceful campaign and fundamental
freedoms were generally respected, the statement said. Changes made
to candidate lists up to a week before the elections meant that
some potential candidates continued working in official government
capacities throughout the campaign, thus blurring the distinction
between public office and campaign activities. Observers noted a
limited number of campaign violations, mostly related to unequal access
to public venues.
“Yesterday the citizens of Moldova voted in a free and dignified
manner. The newly elected parliament should immediately begin implementing
long-awaited reforms in order to resolve socio-economic issues,
tackle corruption, and adopt laws on electoral campaign and party
financing, in particular to ensure transparency of sources of funding.
The application of the law should be fair and justice should never
be selective,” said Jean-Claude Mignon, head of the PACE delegation.
“The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, its monitoring
mechanisms, the Venice Commission and the Group of States against
Corruption (GRECO) stand ready to assist the Moldovan authorities
in carrying out reforms.”
The election administration was generally professional and
transparent and enjoyed the confidence of most stakeholders. In
particular, the new electronic system for voter registration marked
a positive development, although its introduction faced challenges
related to procedures and infrastructure, while the processing of voters’
data on election day experienced technical deficiencies.
Arta Dade, Head of the OSCE PA delegation, said: “Thousands
of people worked hard to make yesterday’s election come together,
and I applaud the efforts of the polling station workers. The failure
for several hours yesterday of the electronic voter’s register was
an unfortunate glitch to an otherwise smoothly run election day. The
effective work particularly by women in running the elections yesterday
is a sign that women can play a larger role in parliament and governing.”
“Within the context of a divided political environment, the
elections were competently and professionally administered,” said
Ambassador Jan Petersen, Head of the OSCE/ODIHR long-term election
observation mission. “Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement,
such as with regards to the legal framework, to ensure that future
election campaigns create an equitable environment for all contestants.”
While the legal framework is generally adequate for the conduct
of democratic elections, ambiguities and vague provisions undermined
the consistent application of the law. In particular, issues remain
concerning the transparency, oversight and enforcement of campaign
finance regulations. In addition, the legal framework lacks measures
to promote the participation of women and minorities, who were placed
in generally unwinnable positions on candidate lists.
Media coverage of the campaign presented voters with a diverse
range of views. Media independence remained a problem, however,
and the concentration of media ownership and political influence
affected editorial freedom and investigative reporting. With a few
notable exceptions including the public broadcaster, balanced campaign
coverage was limited. Nevertheless, national broadcasters complied
with their obligations to provide free airtime and organise debates.
Election day generally proceeded in an orderly manner, despite
considerable technical difficulties in processing voter data, affecting
the voting and counting processes, and one fifth of precinct commissions
had difficulties in processing the results electronically. Contestant
and citizen group observers were present in almost all polling stations
and tabulation centres observed.
“We took note of the progress that has been made, but also
of observed shortcomings, including those already highlighted in
the European Parliament resolution on Moldova of 13 November. In
particular, we stressed the importance of adopting effective legislation
on party financing and media freedom and plurality, with a particular emphasis
on transparency of media ownership,” said Igor Šoltes, Head of the
EP delegation. “Let me reiterate that the European Parliament looks
forward to working together with the new Moldovan Parliament, and
will follow closely the swift implementation of the new Association
Agreement,” he added.
