CHISINAU, October 21. /TASS/. Moldovan President Maia Sandu enjoyed a privileged position in the media and misused administrative resources during the presidential election and referendum campaign, according to a preliminary statement release by the International Election Observation Mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHIR)
"The manner in which the presidential election and referendum campaigns were conducted simultaneously, and media coverage which favored the incumbent and the government, did not provide fully equal opportunities. Misuse of administrative resources in the campaigns was noted," the document reads.
Among the mission’s recommendations was "to increase the resilience of and citizens’ confidence in electoral processes in the country." The statement noted that the voting day "was calm and orderly." However, observers drew attention to the concerns of human rights organizations, which claimed that during the election campaign Moldova was "the target of an ongoing 'hybrid war' directed from abroad."
The electoral process in Moldova was monitored by more than 2,000 observers, with representatives from international organizations and foreign diplomats being among them. The largest team of 1,277 people represented the Promo-LEX non-governmental organization, which is financed by the United States and the United Kingdom. No observers from Russia and CIS structures were invited.
With 99% of the ballots counted, the incumbent president of Moldova, Maia Sandu, has received 42.39% of the vote, while former prosecutor general Alexandr Stoianoglo, who criticizes Sandu for her confrontational policy towards Moscow, has garnered 26.01%.
As many as 49.65% of Moldovan citizens voted in favor of joining the European Union in the referendum, while 50.35% voted against this initiative.