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Article 68
 

Observers


(1) Upon the request of electoral competitors, the District Electoral Council shall accredit an observer for each polling station to monitor the elections. The candidates’ trustworthy persons may also be accredited as observers. If the District Electoral Council rejects an individual proposed for accreditation under this paragraph, it shall notify the electoral competitor that proposed that person about the reasons. The refusal to accredit observers must be justified; it can be challenged in the upstream jurisdiction, and subsequently in Courts.


(2) Upon the request of candidates, the Central Electoral Commission shall accredit an observer to monitor the elections in polling stations established outside the Republic of Moldova. As observers may be accredited both Moldovan citizens living abroad and representatives of international and foreign nongovernmental organisations.


(3) Upon request, the Central Electoral Commission shall accredit as observers representatives of international organisations, of foreign governments and of non-government organisations, having registered their interpreters.


(4) By a decision issued by the Central Electoral Commission or by the District Electoral Councils representatives of qualified public associations of the Republic of Moldova shall be accredited to observe the elections. A “qualified” public association is one which is committed as per its charter to protect human rights and democratic values.


(5) Observers accredited by the Central Electoral Commission shall have the right to monitor election processes throughout the country territory and within all polling stations. Observers accredited by District Electoral Councils shall have that right only on the territory of the respective district. The accredited observers are entitled to monitor the election procedures and to attend all meetings held by electoral bodies, including on Election Day, without interfering with the voting process or in other election procedures, and to report any irregularities observed to the chairperson of the electoral bureau. Observers shall have access to all electoral information, to voters’ lists, to the Protocols prepared by the electoral bodies; they may take photos and video by notifying the chairperson of the electoral body, without jeopardising voting secrecy and security, whilst national observers may submit notifications on the revealed irregularities, which are to be considered by the chairperson of the electoral body, by informing the author of the notification on the decision taken. The accredited observers may continue their activity in the second round of elections, as well as during the repeated elections/referendum.


(6) Observers can be accredited before the electoral period starts and can perform their activity on the Election Day and also before, during and after elections. The Central Electoral Commission shall approve the Regulation on accreditation of observers by issuing a decision to this end.


(7) To ensure that international observers work efficiently during the electoral period, the Central Electoral Commission shall create the Protocol Office of Accredited International Observers. The numeric composition and working principles of this Office are defined by a Central Electoral Commission decision.