CHISINAU, November 4. /TASS/. The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has characterized Moldova’s runoff presidential election as efficiently and professionally administered, with candidates being able to campaign freely.
"The 3 November second round of Moldova’s presidential election was administered efficiently and professionally, and offered voters a choice between genuine political alternatives. Candidates were able to campaign freely, but the quiet, ten-day campaign was marked by an increase in negative rhetoric from across the political spectrum targeting both contestants, often spread through online social networks. The challenges posed by foreign interference and vote-buying continued to reverberate during the run-off campaign," Lucie Potuckova, the Special Co-ordinator and leader of the OSCE short-term observers, and Head of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly delegation, cited a statement by international observers.
According to the statement, incumbent President Maia Sandu "continued to benefit from the misuse of public resources, albeit this was significantly less widespread than in the first round, and from unbalanced media coverage."
The voting was held in a calm atmosphere, the observers said. They also positively assessed the vote counting process.
The runoff presidential election on Sunday was monitored by more than 2,000 observers, including from Western international organizations and foreign diplomats. The largest team of 1,277 observers 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.
According to the preliminary voting results that were released by Moldova’s Central Electoral Commission on Monday after counting 100% of ballots, Sandu won the runoff election with 55.33% of votes, while her rival, former Prosecutor General Alexandr Stoianoglo scored 44.67%. Under the country’s Electoral Code, the Central Electoral Commission has five days to sum up the election results that are to be endorsed by the Constitutional Court.