Oct 10, 2002

Gagauzia: OSCE Mission to Moldova Says Gagauzia Elections Orderly


The OSCE Mission to Moldova considers that the early elections for the post of Bashkan of Gagauzia on 6 October 2002 were held in a calm, orderly, free and fair manner, and were overall in accordance with domestic and international law
The OSCE Mission to Moldova considers that the early elections for the post of Bashkan (Governor) of Gagauzia on 6 October 2002 were held in a calm, orderly, free and fair manner, and were overall in accordance with domestic and international law.

The Mission did not carry out an election observation, but merely a political assessment of the election process. Mission Members and an election expert from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Warsaw closely followed preparations in the weeks preceding the vote and on polling day visited 59 of the 61 polling stations. They also closely followed counting procedures in six locations after the polls closed.

During the preparations and election campaigns, Mission Members noted significant support by representatives of local administrations, councils, as well as central Moldovan authorities for the official candidate of the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova. In this respect, the Mission stresses the importance of the impartiality of central authorities, as well as local administrations and councils during the whole election process.

The Gagauz Central Election Commission (GCEC) endeavored to implement the electoral legislation efficiently. However, some time limits prescribed in the legislation were not followed, e.g. for the preparation and publishing of voters lists.

On polling day, Mission Members did not witness any serious violations of legislation and regulations, with some limited exceptions. They did note a number of irregularities and shortcomings that were of some concern. The overall impression was that elections were, with a few exceptions, better prepared and carried out in the Comrat and Ciadir-Lunga districts than in the district of Vulcanesti.

A main shortcoming on the organizational side was the fact that, in many polling stations, voter information was inadequate or not displayed sufficiently prominently. This led to many instances of open voting as voters were not instructed to fold the ballot papers before leaving the booth, thereby putting the secrecy of their votes at risk. Furthermore, many polling stations lacked copies of the relevant Gagauz electoral laws.

Another problem noted was that many polling station commissions did not properly check the identity of voters. In one polling station in Avdarma (PS No. 25), no identity check was carried out at all. Also, group voting, mostly of family members, was frequently noted. Further, many polling stations did not follow instructions to stamp ballot papers on the back after voting as a safeguard against multiple voting and ballot stuffing. In several places, predominantly in the district of Vulcanesti, ballot papers were regularly stamped before handing out the ballot paper, often even in the evening before election day. This practice rendered stamping useless as a safeguard.

One major case of a violation of election legislation was noted in Baurci (polling station no.27) where many voters were provided with 2 ballot papers to enable them to vote for family members not present. In some instances they were even given up to four ballots.

To their serious concern, Mission Members saw that, in a significant number of polling stations, representatives and observers of the official candidate of the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova, as well as sometimes unauthorized persons such as mayors close to that candidate, interfered in the election process by advising voters. In some polling stations these representatives, observers and mayors seemed to have had even an organizational, leading role in the polling station, with electoral officials addressing issues to them for decisions on how to proceed. In this respect, the Mission again stresses the importance of representatives of candidates and observers remaining neutral in polling stations. It is also important to ensure that no unauthorized persons, including mayors, are present in polling stations on the day of elections.

In the counting of ballots, it was noted that most polling station commissions did not begin with counting the overall number of ballot papers received. This led in many polling stations to difficulties in reconciling election results.

The OSCE Mission considers that these irregularities and shortcomings should be addressed by the GCEC and the district election commissions for the 20 October elections. In particular, polling station commissions must be instructed more thoroughly, especially concerning the folding of ballots. They must also be provided with copies of the relevant election legislation.

 

Source: OSCE