CEC dismisses Socialist Party’s complaints of election irregularities
The Moldovan Central Electoral Commission (CEC) has dismissed multiple complaints submitted by the Socialist Party, ruling them inadmissible due to alleged electoral irregularities. These complaints were reviewed during a CEC session held on Friday, November 8.
The Socialist Party did not attend the session, despite Commission members indicating an interest in addressing questions regarding the complaints. One complaint from the Socialists alleged organised voter transportation to designated polling stations in Romania. Similarly, Maia Sandu's team submitted a complaint alleging organised transportation of voters to polling stations in Moscow, Istanbul, Minsk, and Baku, along with attempts to influence voter choices through the provision of goods, specific services, or food. Both complaints have been forwarded to the General Prosecutor's Office and the General Police Inspectorate for legal assessment.
Another complaint from the Socialist Party accused Prime Minister Dorin Recean of engaging in electoral campaigning by encouraging citizens to exercise their democratic right to vote.
"The Commission determined that, provided there is no explicit promotion or direct endorsement of a particular candidate, and that the message from authorities remains within relevant and permissible boundaries, they act fully within the scope of their legal mandate. Consequently, the complaint was dismissed by the CEC as unfounded," the official statement reads.
Another complaint addressed three polling stations in the diaspora, where, according to the Socialist Party, ballot papers were retained by the heads of the electoral bureaus until the polling stations opened on the day of the second round. Since this complaint was filed on November 6 and the issue had already been resolved, it was declared inadmissible.
The CEC also took note of two additional complaints from the Socialist Party, requesting that findings from national and international election observation missions be incorporated into the Central Electoral Commission's report on the election results.
The Commission noted that the CEC report will include references to reports from national election observation missions. Additionally, findings and recommendations from election observation missions will undergo review in the post-election period as part of efforts to refine the legal framework relevant to the electoral process.
It is anticipated that on Saturday, November 9, the CEC will consolidate the results of the presidential election's second round and approve the report on the election outcome, which will subsequently be submitted to the Constitutional Court.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
