Fair electoral process despite Russian tensions, Luxembourgish observer says

The election took place amid accusations from officials of Russian attempts to interfere in the process, claims Moscow denies. Despite these tensions, observers said the vote was conducted fairly.

Around 50 observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) monitored the elections to ensure they were conducted freely and fairly. Luxembourg was represented by former LSAP minister for agriculture and social security Claude Haagen and DP faction president Gilles Baum.

In addition to meeting with party members and the press, observers also inspected polling stations. DP faction president Gilles Baum said he personally checked nine booths to ensure ballot boxes were empty before voting even began.

"The ballot boxes we inspected showed no signs of wrongdoing", Baum reported. "We were able to confirm that the electoral process was well organised and professionally conducted, including in the stations where votes were counted. At this morning’s debrief, we were told that in 99% of polling stations nothing out of the ordinary occurred", Baum said.

"This leads us to conclude that the elections were free and fair."

Despite the largely smooth process, Baum noted tensions in the air. In the run-up to election day and on the day itself, Moldovan authorities reported cyberattacks on critical infrastructure as well as four bomb alerts targeting embassies in the Moldovan capital Chișinău.

"The press told us they also received threats. Some 90 websites were spreading fake news, reaching more than 25 million clicks. In my opinion, these are clear signs that Russia tried everything to prevent Moldova from moving closer to the European Union" Baum said.

Whether these efforts influenced the outcome remains uncertain. What is clear, however, is that the pro-European ruling PAS secured a commanding lead with 50% of the vote, while the pro-Russian bloc led by former president Igor Dodon took only 25%. Supporters of Dodon’s bloc alleged irregularities, with voters in Transnistria facing last-minute difficulties as polling stations were relocated and a bridge was closed following a bomb alert, details Baum confirmed.

Baum added: "Indeed, this is something we did discuss in the briefing this morning. People from Transnistria, an autonomous region controlled by Russia, had access to 12 polling stations which they could travel to from from Transnistria and post their ballots. Two days prior to election day however, the polling stations were changed and we were informed that the bridges were closed therefore hindering their access."

On another note, yesterday afternoon, the courts decided to exclude a party from the election. "It is a very small party, a right wing national party, but things don't work this way. During an election you can't from one moment to the next say that a party is excluded. If there are pertinent reasons why, and here it was about party financing, then it has to be announced weeks in advance, not the day itself."

These concerns were duly included in the final OSCE report, Baum assured.

All in all, the sighs of relief can be heard from Brussels, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declaring her full support to Moldova and its future accession to the EU, every step of the way.