The Annual General Assembly of CALC sums up the results for 2024 and sets the priorities for the electoral year 2025

The Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (CALC) held its Annual General Assembly of members online. The event brought together representatives from 25 of the 31 member organizations that have subscribed to the principles outlined in the Charter for Free and Fair Elections.

During the event, the Secretary of CALC, Polina Panainte, presented the 2024 Activity Report of the Coalition’s Secretariat, highlighting the activities, achievements, and challenges encountered over the past year.

“In 2024, the Coalition significantly contributed to organizing democratic and inclusive electoral processes. We have demonstrated that the voice of civil society can positively influence electoral integrity through monitoring, objective analysis, and strategic dialogue with authorities and international partners,” stated Polina Panainte, Secretary of CALC.

The 2024 Activity Report of CALC’s Secretariat was unanimously approved by all members present at the event.

Another key topic of the event was the presentation by the CALC organizations of the activities conducted in 2024 within working groups, including the full spectrum of aspects involved in the organization and conduct of the electoral process, the challenges encountered in monitoring electoral processes and media behavior, as well as the lessons learned.

Present at the Assembly, Andrei Brighidin, Director of Evaluation and Development at the East European Foundation (EEF), emphasized: “EEF has a vested interest in elections, and the information gathered at this event will help shape the terms of reference and support for the 2025 elections. We will continue to support the Coalition in its initiatives, strengthening the capacity of member organizations and promoting the integrity of democratic processes.”

A key item on the agenda was the presentation by member organizations of the planned initiatives for the electoral year 2025, which include monitoring activities, information campaigns, civic education, training sessions, research, and partnerships with public institutions. “We need to adapt not only in terms of monitoring but also in terms of civic/electoral education. We have the moral right to speak more about electoral corruption and to be active in empowering institutions responsible for public order, as well as in conducting information campaigns and working with citizens,” mentioned Nicolae Panfil, Program Director at Promo-LEX Association.

The conclusions of the CALC General Assembly emphasized the need to better explain electoral processes to voters, debunk fake news at the local level, create more content in the Russian language, strengthen collaboration with public authorities, foster cooperation between CALC civil society organizations and local electoral bodies, monitor the behavior of political parties at the local level, encourage voter turnout through campaigns, and build bridges between political parties and society, among others.

Event Agenda:Agenda Adunarea Generala CALC 18 decembrie 2024

Presentation of CALC’s 2024 results:Report CALC 2024

About CALC: The Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections is a platform of 31 civil society organizations dedicated to promoting a transparent, fair, and inclusive electoral process in the Republic of Moldova. The mission of the Coalition is to contribute to the development of democracy in Moldova by promoting and conducting free and fair elections by the standards of ODIHR (OSCE), the Council of Europe, and its specialized affiliated institutions. Throughout 2024, the CALC Secretariat was managed by the Association for Participatory Democracy ADEPT.