OSCE gave the verdict for the Romanian elections
The technical preparations for the second round of the presidential elections were carried out in a ‘professional and’ efficient ‘way, despite’ the lack of transparency ‘in the activity of the electoral administration, a preliminary report of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (rest) of OSCE, presented on Monday.
‘In this second very disputed tour I noticed that the fundamental freedoms of meeting and association were respected. The technical preparations for the second round have been carried out professionally and effectively despite the lack of transparency in the activity of the electoral administration. One of the sources of concern was the lack of regulation of the period between the first round and the start of the official campaign for the second round. This has led to uncertainty about the allowed political activities, the rules for financing the campaign and media, which affected the participation of other political parties, « said Lucie Potuckova, the head of the delegation of the parliamentary meeting of the OSCE, in a press conference on the preliminary report after the second round of presidential elections.
She said that, although the atmosphere around these elections was highly polarized and characterized by defamatory rhetoric, a larger number of voters expressed their will in a calm and orderly way.
« Our observation in the polling stations showed that the day of the elections was generally well organized and managed professionally and, despite some observed procedural inconsistencies, we evaluated positively, » Potuckova said.
The head of the delegation of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly indicated that online the messages of the election campaign have focused on polarization topics and personal attacks.
‘Online behavior and diverse media coverage, but sometimes biased have affected the ability of voters to make an informed choice. In addition, misinformation and misinformation on a large scale including the electoral process have brought to public responses from the authorities, « she added.
In his opinion, it is necessary to work on the electoral framework in accordance with OSCE commitments and international standards.
Lucie Potuckova informed that the final report of the observation mission will be issued 90 days after the second round of the presidential elections.
For his part, the head of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (rest) of OSCE, Eoghan Murphy, said that the electoral administration has implemented the electoral process professionally, effectively and in legal terms, but transparency remained limited as in the first round, because the meetings continued to be closed, and the information continued to be closed, and the information continued to be closed. ‘incomplete’ or ‘inconsistent’.
According to Murphy, the classic campaign events were more visible than in the first round, and misinformation and wrong information were widely present online, including allegations of electoral fraud, which were promptly denied by authorities.
‘Despite the increase in the number of online posts reported by the state authorities, the continuous prevalence of non -authoric behavior, including around the campaigns of both candidates, indicated that the answers of the institutions have remained fragmented and, in general, insufficient to effectively mitigate such behavior. This had an impact on the ability of voters to make an informed choice, ‘he said.
Eoghan Murphy said that the CNA decisions regarding the notifications related to the campaign media did not provide for an effective or timely repair.
« Some decisions were made late, and the sanctions had a limited discouragement effect with impact on the effectiveness of repair, » he explained.
According to him, the lack of reporting requirements in the field of campaign financing during the intermediate period between the first and second round has affected transparency and responsibility.
Some procedural inconsistencies were found, but they did not affect the general positive evaluation of the observers.
‘The day of the election was generally calm, well organized and driven with professionalism. In a few sections, unauthorized persons were present, including police and local officials, and the accessibility of polling stations for people with disabilities remained a serious concern, « said the head of the OSCE rest mission.
He said that international observers will remain in Romania to follow the post -electoral developments, including any complaints and appeals related to the presidential elections.
