In our “Meet our Members” series, this month we talked to Nicolae Panfil, Program Director at Promo-Lex in Moldova.
Established in 2002, Promo-LEX seeks to foster democratic development and protect human rights throughout Moldova, with a mission to encompass the promotion and protection of human rights, the strengthening of democratic processes and institutions, and the development of civil society.
Promo-Lex received the EaP CSF Civil Society Award in 2019 for their outstanding and courageous work in the field of the political, economic and social development of their countries and defending core democratic values. Promo-Lex participated in election observation missions. We asked Nicolae about the challenges posed by the latest presidential election and referendum in Moldova.
How exactly do you do election observation?
Nicolae Panfil: “The Promo-LEX observation methodology includes both long-term election observation – from the setting of the election date until the confirmation of its legality – as well as short-term monitoring of voting procedures on election day. Additionally, Promo-LEX monitors the financing of electoral campaigns and hate speech”.
Why is election observation so important in Moldova?
Nicolae Panfil: “Moldova is a state with a democracy still in the process of consolidation. Election observation is very important for a number of reasons. It enables the prevention of electoral violations; It holds electoral actors and public authorities accountable; it ensures transparency in campaign financing; and it creates equal opportunities for all electoral competitors through impartial monitoring and real-time information about the electoral process”.
What risks did you foresee for this election, and did you end up encountering any of them?
Nicolae Panfil: “We anticipated several risks, and a number of them materialized during the elections:
- External involvement in the elections as part of the hybrid war waged by the Russian Federation against the Republic of Moldova. This involvement manifested through the illegal financing of the electoral campaign and the organization of disinformation campaigns;
- Voter bribery through the provision of goods and financial rewards in exchange for voting for a certain option;
- The danger of dividing society by competitors using hate speech and socially divisive messages based on geopolitical and identity criteria;
- The state’s still limited capacity to cope with the hybrid war and other threats to electoral integrity. In some cases, authorities did not prevent electoral corruption and disinformation, nor did they sanction hate speech and the involvement of religious institutions.”
You can find out more about Promo-Lex on their website. Promo-Lex provided EaP CSF with pictures taken from their observation missions. You can see them in the gallery below.
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