Moldovan electoral body calls on electoral contenders, law-enforcement bodies to ensure holding of fair electoral process

Chisinau, 6 October /MOLDPRES/ - The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) warns about the need to observe the electoral legislation, especially as regards several aspects: organization of illegal carriage of voters, corrupting voters, involvement of religious cults in the polls.  

According to CEC’s press service, at the presidential elections from 2016, as well as at the parliamentary polls held in 2019, the Commission received more notifications on cases of organized carriage of voters to polling stations, especially of electors with residence on the left bank of Dniester. In its rulings on the confirmation of the results of the elections and validation of the Moldovan president’s mandate, as well as on the confirmation of the results of the parliamentary polls and validation of the MP mandates, the Constitutional Court (CCM) said that ‘’the organized transportation of voters does not represent, in itself, an electoral infringement, except for the case if the fact that undue pressures were exerted to influence the voters’ option is proved.’’  

Therefore, CEC points out, on the one hand, the obligation of the law-enforcement bodies to counteract any action meant to organize/carry out the illicit transportation of voters and on the other hand, the electoral contenders’ obligation to abstain from actions which implicitly influence the voters’ option and the results of the polls, which might actually serve as ground for cancelling the results of the elections and imposing the necessary sanctions, including of sanctions of excluding from the electoral race.     

Also, CEC reiterates that, according to CCM, a serious infringement of the principles of free and democratic elections and of the fair and transparent process of the polls, which creates pre-conditions for doubting the lawfulness and legitimacy of the elections and can influence the results of the polls, represents the corrupting of voters.  

Under the Criminal Code, the offering or giving of money, goods, services or other benefits, in order to prompt the voter to exercise or not exercise his/her electoral rights at the polls, in case of private people, is punished with fine worth from 550 to 850 conventional units or with imprisonment up to five years and in the case of a legal entity – with fine worth from 4,000 to 6,000 conventional units, with the deprivation of the right to carry out a certain activity or with the liquidation of the legal entity.    

In the context, the Commission warns that the ensuring of the non-allowing the voters’ corruption is one of the key elements for assessing the free and fair character of the elections, as well as their validation, including through the voters’ trust in the results of the polls, being the pillar of the legitimacy of the state power, for which all sides involved in the electoral processes are to show an active position in this respect.  

The electoral authority draws attention to the fact that, according to the Article 31, paragraph 4 of the Constitution, the religious cults are autonomous and separated from the state. Moreover, the Electoral Code bans the financing or material support in any form, direct and/or indirect of the work of the political parties, electoral campaigns/electoral contenders by the religious organizations.  

In the context, the Court reminds that ‘’the carrying out of electoral agitation and/or the financial or material support or electoral contenders, carrying out of actions through which Moldova’s Constitution is violated represent grounds for suspending the activity of religious cults and their component parts.’’   

Thus, CEC calls on the law-enforcement bodies to promptly investigate all signals received, including from the public space, the electoral contenders to notify the competent bodies in time, with presenting conclusive evidence, the observers to fulfill their mission impartially and all state bodies to provide support at the documentation of such situations.  

Presidential elections will be held in Moldova on 1 November. Eight electoral contenders have registered in the race for the office of Moldovan president: the leader of Our Party, Renato Usatii, the leader of the Dignity and Truth Platform Party, Andrei Nastase, the former president of the Liberal Democratic Party (PLDM), Tudor Deliu, the head of state, independent candidate Igor Dodon, an MP of the Shor Party, Violeta Ivanov, the leader of the Action and Solidarity Party, Maia Sandu, the leader of the National Unity Party, Octavian Ticu, and Dorin Chirtoaca, nominated by the UNIREA (UNION) Electoral Bloc.      

Photo source: CEC