Congress Election Observation Mission to Republic of Moldova – Local Elections, 4 November 2023

6 November 2023 – 15:00

Draft statement of the Deputy Head of delegation, Mr Vladimir PREBILIC, Slovenia

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Dear ladies and gentlemen,

I also wish you a very warm welcome to this joint press conference of the International Election Observation Mission. The Congress very much appreciated the cooperation with our partners of the OSCE/ODIHR and the European Parliament during this mission.

In my capacity as deputy Head of delegation, I am pleased to represent Gunn Marit HELGESEN, the Head of the delegation of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities. The Congress is a body of the Council of Europe, responsible for strengthening local and regional democracy in its 46 members States. Its mandate includes the observation of local and regional elections by elected representatives in Council of Europe member States. This peer-to-peer mechanism allows us to compare electoral systems in Europe and to monitor the application of common democratic standards at subnational level. It is the thirteenth time we have conducted such a mission in the Republic of Moldova.

 

On this mission, the delegation of the Congress comprised 18 observers from 13 Council of Europe countries. It also held preliminary meetings with a wide range of stakeholders.

I concur with what Corien JONKER said on the main features of these 2023 local elections. Let me however say a few words about the elections based on the Congress’ experience observing local and regional elections in the 46 member States.

In total, we observed electoral procedures in 115 polling stations across the country yesterday. What we saw was an overall calm, orderly and transparent election day with some minor procedural issues. We welcome the revision of the Electoral Code which closed some previously identified legal loopholes and addressed our recommendations notably on campaign finance, independent candidates and gender quotas.

These elections constituted the first general elections organised by the current CEC and regulated on the amended electoral legislation. Regardless of challenges related to the composition of the CEC. Which should be addressed sooner than 2026; having in mind the electoral cycle 2024-2025.

We can say that the election administration was well prepared and worked in an efficient manner, despite a difficult situation and widely alleged external interference in local politics.

While we welcome the pro-active efforts of the authorities to address electoral corruption, a new approach is needed if the state of emergency is extended again, with specific attention given to the timing and application of restrictions. We also call for a re-examination of the wide-ranging powers granted to the Commission for Exceptional Situations.

The Congress delegation believes that the stability of the electoral framework is paramount to ensure the trust of the voters and electoral contestants in the impartiality of the process. This is a key pillar for a robust democracy in the long term.

Let me turn now to our observations made yesterday. As I mentioned, we observed a very well managed election day, particularly during opening and voting. The delegation witnessed minor procedural anomalies related to the secrecy of the votes in small communities, gatherings in front of polling stations or external people directing voters.

We also regretted that, once more, most polling stations were not fully accessible to voters with mobility impairments, a situation that had been raised by Congress observers in the past and has to be addressed.

To conclude, for Moldova’s democratic reforms to progress, these issues require an urgent response both in the legal framework and in practice. The exceptional circumstances in which these elections were held generated many lessons. An opportunity for further improvements arises in view of the forthcoming presidential and parliamentary elections. We look forward to ongoing political dialogue with Moldovan authorities to implement those recommendations.

Following this mission, we will prepare a report together with our recommendations to be addressed to the authorities of the Republic of Moldova, which will be presented for adoption at the next Congress session in Strasbourg in March 2024.

Let me conclude by thanking all the members of this international election observation mission. We were delighted to work once again alongside the OSCE/ODIHR and the European Parliament. Joint missions are absolutely essential, as they enable us to further cross-check observations made on Election Day and to consolidate our recommendations.

I thank you for your attention and I am happy to take questions, if there are any.