Moldova’s 2023 local elections: ODIHR election observation mission final report

Moldova’s 2023 local elections were peaceful and managed efficiently, but interference from abroad and restrictions on freedom of expression due to national security concerns had a negative impact. The influx of illicit and foreign funds and the monetary incentives used to influence voters’ choice distorted the campaign. Contestants were able to campaign freely and voters were provided with distinct alternatives, but the de-registration of all candidates of one party on the eve of the elections limited voters’ choice.

These are some of the main conclusions from the final report on the 5 November elections published by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). The report offers 31 recommendations to bring elections further in line with OSCE commitments, as well as other international obligations and standards for democratic elections.

Key recommendations include:

• Establishing effective parliamentary control over decisions of the Commission for Exceptional Situations when elections are held during a state of emergency;
• Taking measures to ensure the independence of the Central Election Commission, including a review of the current composition of the CEC ahead of the next presidential and parliamentary elections;
• Guaranteeing the right to vote to anyone who changes their residence close to election day;
• Guaranteeing timely and effective legal remedy on decisions related to de-registration of candidates;
• Discouraging contestants and high-ranking officials from using their public office and government-funded projects to gain an unfair electoral advantage during the campaign;
• Ensuring that broadcasting rights are not suspended or withdrawn unless the broadcaster is held to be in serious and repeated breach of a legitimate restriction on content by the media regulator or the court;
• Revising legislation to ensure the independence of the management of the public broadcaster and the media regulator and the stability of members' tenure;
• Mandating that the dissemination of media content can not be prohibited except when law provides for such measures serving legitimate aims in line with the principles of necessity and proportionality;
• Mandating that the election results be promptly published on the Central Election Commission website, disaggregated by polling station, and available in an accessible format;
• Regulating that the second round of mayoral elections take place only after the final decisions on appeals against election results have been reached.

ODIHR deployed an Election Observation Mission on 28 September 2023 to observe the local elections. All 57 participating States across the OSCE region have formally committed to following up promptly on ODIHR’s election assessments and recommendations.