OSCE observers discontented with slack electoral registers and with recent amendments to electoral legislation
On Monday afternoon, international observers presented their first, preliminary conclusions on the parliamentary elections the Republic of Moldova held on November 28.
The election monitoring was carried out by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) jointly with the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the European Parliament.
Among the main drawbacks pointed out by the European observers were first and foremost the imperfectly prepared electoral registers and the recent amendments to the Election Code.
Tonino Picula, Head of the OSCE short-term observer mission and of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly delegation, stated at the news conference that the elections were transparent and democratic, were held in a competitive and pluralistic atmosphere, and met most OSCE and Council of Europe commitments, which let voters express their will without hindrance.
The observers noted that the elections were administered in an impartial manner and a diverse field of candidates provided voters with a genuine choice. Election day was assessed positively although some procedural errors were observed. Civil and political rights were respected during the election campaign. A lively and diverse media covered the campaign actively and provided voters with varied information. A number of amendments to the electoral code improved the electoral framework overall.
However, the introduction of a new mandate allocation system - shortly before the elections and without public consultations - was problematic. The quality of voter lists remained a weak point and led to diminished public confidence. Further efforts are needed to remedy remaining deficiencies and strengthen public confidence, said Tonino Picula.
He further held saying that these elections reflected the will of the people, and were a positive step in Moldova's democratic development, and "we commend the competitive and pluralistic environment of this country, and hope that the political forces will act responsibly in building bridges and bringing Moldova out of this political crisis." Indrek Saar, Head of the delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, conveyed congratulations to the citizens of Moldova on their democratic conduct both during the election campaign and on the election day itself with a remarkably high turnout. He said the delegation insists once again that it now belongs to the main political stakeholders, whatever their political position, to assure, at last, the functional operation of public institutions and to put the interests of the country as a whole over and above their personal or political disagreements.
Saar drew attention to the fact that the recent amendments made to the Election Code go contrary to the Venice Commission Code and to positive practices, that that Moldovan politicians played with the rules, instead of playing according to the rules.
Monica Macovei, Head of the delegation of the European Parliament, said that the delegation observed real democratic elections, and witnessed the clear improvement of the election process since the last elections.
"The election results reflect the will of the people. When elections are held every year, it is politics in crisis and not politics as usual. For us these elections mean that Moldova is perceived as the flagship of the Eastern Partnership of the EU,"
And Peter Eicher, Head of the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission, said "I am pleased that we can issue an overall positive assessment. These elections have strengthened democracy in Moldova. But a number of deficiencies remain to be tackled. Every effort should be made to build broad-based support among political parties for the outstanding reforms of the electoral framework".
The OSCE, the European Parliament and the PACE will present their final report on the November 2010 parliamentary elections in Moldova within about 2 months. It will include also post-election monitoring results.
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