International experts: Elections in the Republic of Moldova, marked by external interference and disinformation
The presidential election and the constitutional referendum took place in the context of massive attempts at foreign interference and sustained attacks on democratic values and institutions. This is the conclusion of the international observers, who monitored the smooth conduct of the polls. Moreover, experts say that misinformation continues to spread online, and authorities should act systematically to counter fakes.
Experts from the OSCE and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights expressed concern about illicit foreign interference and disinformation efforts, which affected the integrity of the electoral process. They are to make a final report of the observers, which will include a series of recommendations based on the observations made.
"Election day was calm, well organized and the voting process was generally assessed positively by international observers with only a few procedural issues. Law enforcement authorities and many international actors have declared that Moldova is the target of an externally directed hybrid war that includes various forms of manipulative interference to destabilize the country," said Lucie Potuckova, OSCE coordinator.
"At nine percent of the polling stations those who voted were not given the option to receive only one vote. Moreover, the surveillance cameras were not positioned very well, and there were also some minor procedural issues. We found very few isolated incidents such as pressure on voters or influencing them", said Urszula Gacek, ODIHR representative.
According to the experts of the International Election Observation Mission ENEMO, disinformation continues to spread online, including through social networks, regarding the European Union and the European integration prospects of the Republic of Moldova.
"Despite the authorities' efforts to counter disinformation and vote-buying schemes, ENEMO expresses its utmost concern over these attempts to move the country away from strengthening democratic institutions and the rule of law. The election administration bodies managed the process transparently and professionally. Minor procedural violations or irregularities on election day did not affect the integrity of the process," said Dritan Taulla, head of the ENEMO mission.
The European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations - ENEMO will remain in the country to observe possible appeals and will publish another preliminary statement on November 4, the day after the second round of elections.
