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May 11th Elections, ODIHR: Abuse of the state, pressure on the administration and violations of rights during the campaign

Politiko 2025-04-29 15:33:22

May 11th Elections, ODIHR: Abuse of the state, pressure on the administration
In its interim report on the parliamentary elections of May 11, 2025, ODIHR highlights that the campaign is taking place in a climate of political tensions, accusations of corruption and the use of state resources in favor of the ruling party.

International observers report direct pressure on public administration employees, patronage-based use of personal data, and persistent violations of election rules, including the distribution of bonuses to pensioners a few months before the elections and failure to respect the legal distance from polling stations. ODIHR raises serious concerns about the impact these phenomena may have on the integrity of the electoral process.

Excerpt from the report:

The law prohibits the use of state resources for campaigning and prohibits electoral activities in public institutions. Also, in the four months before election day, laws that provide benefits to citizens cannot be adopted. However, many stakeholders contacted by the ODIHR raised concerns about the use of state resources, pressure on public administration employees, and patronage networks influencing voters. The distribution of a spring bonus to pensioners in March was cited as an example, considered an attempt to influence the vote.

The Central Election Commission (CEC) has received 94 complaints of election-related violations, 6 of which are related to the use of public resources. Administrative investigations have been launched in 70 cases, while fines have been proposed for 3 of them. The CEC has assigned 96 monitors to the 12 electoral districts to collect reports on the activities of political entities and to verify campaign financial statements.

Social media campaigning is not legally regulated and there is no body that monitors it. The CEC has set up a special unit to monitor the activities of 50 public institutions on social media. Three posts were found to be in violation of CEC rules and were referred for investigation. For the first time, several political parties have signed a Voluntary Code of Conduct for Digital Campaigning, which aims to prevent hate speech, disinformation and promote transparency in political advertising.

Among the concerns raised is the misuse of voters' personal data. A new law on the protection of personal data was adopted in 2024 and the Commissioner for the Right to Information has issued guidelines for political parties on this issue, inviting citizens to report any violations.

Full report

 

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