WELL-MANAGED PRESIDENTIAL RUN-OFF IN MOLDOVA CLOUDED BY NEGATIVE RHETORIC AND INEFFECTIVE CAMPAIGN FINANCE RULES, OSCE ODIHR OBSERVERS SAY

Sunday's presidential run-off in Moldova was well managed in the challenging circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but negative and divisive rhetoric devalued the campaign amid ineffective rules on campaign financing, international observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) wrote in a statement today, which was presented by Corien Jonker, Head of the ODIHR limited election observation mission.

"We saw the intolerant rhetoric increasingly becoming a campaign topic in itself. It had a polarizing effect and damaged public respect for the country's political leaders," she said.

The Mission Head pointed out fear mongering media reports aimed mostly against Maia Sandu. In the media, there were a large number of political programs and interviews dedicated to the election, but the lack of impartiality and balance reduced the quality of information available to voters. The observation mission found that the incumbent received a greater proportion of coverage, while the tone of much of the reporting reflected the ongoing media polarization, said the statement.

ODIHR's Limited Election Observation Mission to Moldova took up its work on 23 September with a team of 10 experts based in Chisinau and 22 long-term observers around the country. The mission is focusing on key issues identified by ODIHR ahead of the election in order to assess the extent to which the presidential election was held in line with OSCE commitments and other international standards for democratic elections, as well as with national legislation.