Moldova’s 20 October presidential election and constitutional referendum were well-managed, and contestants campaigned freely in an environment characterized by concerns over illicit foreign interference and active disinformation efforts. While this affected the integrity of the process, additionally, campaign conditions did not allow for a level playing field among contestants, international observers said in a preliminary statement released today.

The election administration worked professionally and demonstrated impartiality in their decision-making. In a competitive but only minimally visible campaign, voters were offered a variety of political alternatives among presidential candidates, who were registered in an inclusive process. However, the manner in which the presidential election and referendum campaigns were conducted simultaneously, and media coverage that favoured the incumbent and the government, did not provide fully equal opportunities. Misuse of public resources in the campaign was noted, the statement says.

“Moldova deserves credit for implementing a number of reforms to increase public confidence in the electoral system, in the context heavy Russian propaganda. From implementing cybersecurity measures to ensuring a high degree of women’s participation, there is much to celebrate in this election,” said Lucie Potůčková, Special Co-ordinator and leader of the short-term OSCE observers. “There are, however, some areas for improvement. The overlapping period between candidate registration and the campaign, for example, has created an uneven playing field, which is something we would like to see improved.”

The campaigns took place in the context of the government addressing national security threats resulting from the war caused by the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine. Law enforcement authorities, many international actors and civil society organizations have proclaimed that Moldova is the target of an ongoing “hybrid war” directed from abroad that includes illicit financing of political actors, disinformation campaigns, and cyberattacks.

"Yesterday marked a pivotal moment for Moldova, despite Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine and intensive Kremlin-backed interference in the electoral processes,” said Petra Bayr (Austria, SOC), Head of the delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. “We commend the country's leadership for boldly consulting the population on this fundamental choice, and stand ready to support Moldova in further strengthening its inclusive and open society. Success will depend on further democratic reforms and the ability to combat disinformation and external interference, ensuring Moldova's democratic process remains legitimate and transparent."

“We welcome the results of the referendum,” said Michael Gahler, Head of the delegation from the European Parliament. “Despite the unprecedented massive, malign and illicit Russian interference, especially through vote buying, hybrid attacks and disinformation, the people of the Republic of Moldova chose a future in the EU. We commend the competent Moldovan authorities for holding a well-managed and efficient election under these extraordinary circumstances. We call on all stakeholders to resist any interference, in order not to allow it to distort the results of the second round of the presidential election and the 2025 parliamentary elections.”

While the revised legal framework for the presidential election provides an adequate basis for holding democratic elections, frequent amendments, introduced shortly prior to the election and without sufficient consultation, diminished the coherence of election legislation and potentially affected legal certainty. The legal framework for the referendum, which was on the question of enabling the parliament to integrate EU rights and obligations into national law without further constitutional reform, has certain shortcomings, including insufficient safeguards against the misuse of public resources and, as such, is not fully in line with international standards and OSCE commitments. While there are no international standards prohibiting the concurrent holding of the two contests, doing so without adjusting campaign regulations contributed to an unlevel playing field for presidential contestants.

Despite some shortcomings and a polarised environment marked by increasingly harsh rhetoric, the calm and inclusive conduct of the elections to the Assembly of Kosovo on 9 February 2025 and the commitment of voters to democracy “represent a positive step towards bringing the country into line with Council of Europe standards”, according to the report presented today at the plenary session by Petra Bayr (Austria, SOC).

The PACE delegation, which observed the vote, believes that voters cast their ballots “peacefully and without tension” in these elections, which presented a pluralist and dynamic political landscape. It also underlined that Kosovo had consolidated its electoral framework by adopting a Law on General Election in 2023, which introduced technical improvements.

However, the report indicates that a number of issues remain regarding electoral practice and the implementation of the new electoral system. In this regard, the delegation called on the Central Election Commission (CEC) to address the use of electronic means during the electoral process and to review ethnic representation on local election commissions in municipalities with non-majority communities.

The delegation further noted that hate speech and harsh rhetoric, as well as the lack of political debate, could deepen ethnic tensions, and called on political parties to take firm action against hate speech in election campaigns.

Noting “undue interference aimed at capturing the votes of non-majority communities, in particular the votes of the Kosovo Serbs”, the delegation called on the authorities to strengthen the independence of institutions and oversight bodies at the service of all communities, such as the Independent Media Commission and the CEC.

PACE and the Venice Commission stand ready to co-operate with all stakeholders to further improve the electoral framework, administration and practices.

Election observation report