Moldova 2024 presidential election and constitutional referendum: ODIHR election observation mission final report

Both rounds of the presidential election as well as the constitutional referendum were well managed, and contestants campaigned freely despite concerns over illicit foreign interference and active disinformation efforts. The election administration worked professionally and demonstrated impartiality in its decision-making. Voters were offered a variety of political alternatives among presidential candidates, who were registered in an inclusive process. However, the manner in which the presidential election and referendum campaigns were conducted simultaneously, and media coverage that favoured the incumbent, did not provide fully equal opportunities. The regulation of the short second-round period limited campaign opportunities and the effectiveness of legal remedies, while overly burdensome financial reporting requirements together with limited disclosure of actual donations and expenditures negatively impacted the transparency of campaign finances in the second round. 

These are among the main conclusions from the final report published by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). The report provides 25 recommendations to align Moldova’s election processes more closely with OSCE commitments and other international standards.

Key recommendations include:

• Comprehensively and inclusively reviewing the legal framework to address all outstanding ODIHR recommendations and eliminating gaps and inconsistencies, including regulations on the second round of elections, and likewise reviewing the legal framework for referendums;
• Providing the Central Election Commission with the necessary resources to ensure it can carry out its work, and strengthening its capacity to monitor campaign finance;
• Effectively enforcing provisions on preventing the misuse of public resources and public office, and further enhancing initiatives to combat vote-buying and illicit campaign finance;
• Removing restrictions on the right to vote based on intellectual or psychosocial disability;
• Undertaking a comprehensive audit of the State Voter Register and strengthening inter-institutional cooperation to ensure its accuracy;
• Providing an effective mechanism for challenging election results, and ensuring adequate access for voters to file appeals;
• Providing clear safeguards for the genuine independence of the Audiovisual Council and the public broadcaster.

ODIHR’s election observation mission in Moldova opened on 12 September 2024 and remained in the country until 27 October.

All 57 participating States across the OSCE region have formally committed to following up promptly on ODIHR’s election assessments and recommendations. Further information on previous ODIHR recommendations and the extent to which they have been implemented so far can be found on p.36 of the report. ODIHR’s electoral recommendations database tracks the implementation of previous recommendations across the OSCE region.