Promo-LEX: National political leaders actively involved in the campaign for the new local elections of May 19, 2013

The present report covers the period between 1 and 17 May 2013. It reflects the electoral context and major developments in the electoral campaign and describes the performance of electoral contestants, including with regard to campaign financing. The report also focuses on the performance of the local public authorities and electoral bodies in terms of respecting the regulatory framework and the established timeframe.

The monitoring effort found that local public authorities had largely followed the electoral legislation, providing sites for posting electoral advertisement materials as well as public premises/spaces for organizing campaign rallies. Local authorities adopted a balanced approach and aimed to create equal conditions for all the contestants. However, the monitoring effort registered cases in which local administrations provided spaces for election rallies without signing proper contracts with the contestants.

Observers noted the neutrality of members of electoral administrations who performed their functional tasks diligently. After receiving training in courses organized by the higher level electoral bodies, election administration officials applied the general provisions of the election law in a largely consistent manner. However, there have been reports of inconsistent interpretations and superficial understanding of the legal rules related to penalties for cases of alleged misuse of public resources, use of unmarked campaigning materials and their posting in unpermitted places as well as the contestants’ failure to present proper financial reports.

The Promo-LEX monitoring team found that, in the reported period, the campaign was particularly dynamic and diverse. In all the towns, electoral contestants distributed leaflets, posted electoral ads and held campaign rallies. Some candidates organized major events in their towns, such as electoral concerts, many of them featuring district level and national leaders of their respective political parties. Contestants organized waste collection activities, helped repair various social and cultural sites, and offered various electoral gifts. Promo-LEX remains particularly concerned with the candidates’ failure to fully disclose funds used in the campaign, the use of administrative resources, the use of unmarked election posters and posting electoral ads in unpermitted places.

In this respect, Promo-LEX calls all electoral contestants to reflect in their financial reports all costs incurred for organizing electoral concerts, social and waste collection actions, costs of transport and publishing campaign materials, etc. At the same time, Promo-LEX calls electoral administration bodies to pay particular attention in checking the contestants’ financial reports and see that spending ceilings for each locality are respected.

However, observers welcome some candidates’ attempts to challenge the unfair actions of other contestants, including their demand that the latter be excluded from the race for using administrative resources, inadequate financial reporting, improper use of election posters, etc.

The Promo-LEX monitoring effort notes the need for a continuous and more active involvement of the local and regional media in covering the electoral campaign. The role of the media refers in particular to reflecting the activity of election administration bodies, presenting information about the contestants and their campaign finances, and organizing electoral debates.

The “Monitoring New Local Elections of 19 May 2013” project received financial assistance from the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI). The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of donors.

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Minimum standards shall be set regarding the set up technical and logistical conditions of the premises of the election administration bodies, depending on the number of voters included in the voter lists and their work;
• District Electoral Councils and the Central Electoral Commission shall ensure the visibility of the Polling Station Electoral Bureaus by controlling the implementation of the respective chapter in the Regulation regarding the functioning of Polling Station Electoral Bureaus;
• District Electoral Councils shall closely observe the election timetable prepared by the CEC, in particular with reference to the set timeframe for informing voters about the time and place of the voting (dissemination of invitations);
• Candidates and political parties shall refrain from the use of administrative resources, providing electoral gifts, posting campaign ads in unpermitted places and distributing leaflets that do not contain data about their circulation and printing, etc.;
• Relevant authorities shall take action, and political opponents shall monitor each other in terms of campaign financing, and demand that electoral bodies take action against the contestants that admit violations in that regard;
• The Central Election Commission and District Electoral Councils shall monitor and take action against the violation of electoral legislation in terms of non-compliance of electoral contestants with financial reporting requirements and deadlines;
• Further training on electoral legislation shall be offered to all members of electoral bodies, especially in the aspects of analysis and taking decisions in cases of failure to present financial reports or their substandard quality;
• Further training shall be provided to political parties/electoral candidates in the field of financial reporting in order to avoid situations in future elections when candidates do not submit financial reports or submit incomplete reports;
• The local/regional media shall participate more actively in covering electoral processes in the regions.