05/07/2024 Monitoring
Following their visit to Chisinau from 1 to 3 July 2024, the PACE co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of the Republic of Moldova, Pierre-Alain Fridez (Switzerland, SOC) and Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica (Latvia, EPP/CD), expressed their deep concern about the increasing number of reported attempts by the Russian Federation to nefariously interfere in the domestic politics and electoral processes in the Republic of Moldova.
“We are especially apprehensive about the large influx of Russian money into Moldova with the clear aim to buy votes and subvert the democratic process. These illicit money streams often pass through third Council of Europe member countries, and we urge all States to be alert for this and to take all necessary precautions to counteract such malicious practices,” they said.
The rapporteurs were informed about the ongoing preparations for these elections, including the trail of postal voting in selected countries, with the aim of facilitating the vote of the country’s large diaspora. Welcoming these preparations, they stressed the importance of a stable election legislation based on a broad agreement between the stakeholders and are confident that no further last-minute changes to the election legislation shall take place.
During their visit, the rapporteurs also discussed the ongoing judicial reforms and especially the important vetting of judges and prosecutors. During their meetings, they received information about individual actions that could be perceived as attempts to undermine the credibility and effectiveness of the vetting processes. In this context, “we reiterate our strong support for the vetting procedures and vetting commissions, and hope that all other stakeholders would do the same,” they concluded.
The rapporteurs will be returning to Chisinau in September as part of the pre-electoral delegation to observe the upcoming elections and referendum.