REPEATED CALL ON THE CEC TO TAKE MEASURES TO ENSURE THE OPERATION OF THE VIDEO RECORDING SYSTEM THROUGHOUT ELECTION DAY

Attn.: Central Election Commission

The signatory member organizations of the Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (CALC) repeatedly call on the Central Election Commission

• to make urgent amendments to paras. 11 and 21 of the Regulations on the operation of the video recording system at polling stations;
• to ensure the operation of video cameras on Election Day from the start of preparations to open polling stations for the election until the end of vote counting by members of precinct electoral bureaus; and
• to ensure that national observers accredited by the CEC have access to video recordings on official request.

On November 1, 2020, the Republic of Moldova will hold the 2020 presidential election. The election will take place amid specific conditions related to the national, regional, and international (the organization of the election abroad) sanitary-epidemiological restrictions imposed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On October 13, 2020, just over two weeks before the election, the National Extraordinary Commission for Public Health imposed a public health emergency with the Red Alert Level in most administrative-territorial units (except the districts of Hâncești, Leova, and Soroca).[1] Meanwhile, according to data released by the World Health Organization,[2] the infection of the population with the novel coronavirus worldwide entered a new phase, the number of infection cases increasing daily, especially in Europe and America.[3]

Therefore, we expect that the presidential election of November 1, 2020, will take place under restricted observation conditions both in the country and abroad, both for national and international observation missions and for the observers hired by presidential candidates. In this context, it has been noted that the number of national and international observers who will observe Election Day is substantially smaller than during previous national elections.

For example, the 2016 presidential election had 3,096 national observers and 562 international observers accredited by the CEC. The 2019 parliamentary election had 3,389 national observers and 776 international observers. Yet, as of October 15, 2020, for the presidential election of November 1, 2020, the CEC accredited only 1,070 national observers from community-based associations (32% of the total number registered in 2019) and only 139 international observers (17% of the total number registered in 2019)

Moreover, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE/BIDDO) has also decided to change the format of the observation activity carried out in the Republic of Moldova from election observation mission (EOM) into limited election observation mission.[4] This means that EOM will not have short-term observers, who make up the better part of the international observers monitoring Election Day directly.

In conclusion, we consider that given the specific circumstances of this election and the lack of observers in many polling stations, the video monitoring of election operations throughout Election Day (from the start of preparations to open polling stations for the election until the end of vote counting by PEB members) can increase the transparency of election procedures on Election Day and help to prevent, or produce evidence about, potential violations. The video monitoring of election operations can, therefore, help to increase public confidence in the final results confirmed by election management bodies.

Given the above, we request the Central Election Commission to make necessary amendments to the Regulations on the operation of the video recording system at polling stations as soon as possible and to revert to the initial version of CEC Decision No. 2265 of February 8, 2019, which allowed video recording[5] election operations throughout Election Day (just as during the 2019 parliamentary election) and not only until the opening of polling stations and during vote counting. We also request the Central Election Commission to allow national observers accredited by the CEC to access video recordings upon official request.

The signatories consider that the decision to allow the video monitoring of election operations throughout Election Day and access to video recordings for accredited national observers is warranted by the following considerations:

• Increased confidence of election participants in the fairness of the performed election operations
• Increased accountability of election management staff during election operations
• Reduced number of potential election violations and frauds committed in the premises of polling stations and the observance of the epidemiological rules imposed because of the COVID-19 pandemic
• The availability of video evidence in case of altercations, violations, or lodged challenges

 

[1] National Extraordinary Commission for Public Health, Decision No. 34 of October 13, 2020

[2] WHO Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Dashboard

[3] Communiqué by the WHO of October 12, 2020

[4] OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission has informed the Central Election Commission about the change of the observation format in the Republic of Moldova.

^[5] Another alternative would be to live stream the election process from every polling station on web platforms managed by the CEC.