IRI Staff Monitor Moldovan Elections

June 13, 2003

The local elections observed by IRI on May 25 represented the first opportunity for Moldovans to express their opinion of the Communist-dominated government that came to power in 2001. Overall the proceedings on Election Day were free of manipulation and fraud. However, IRI noted that the government had a large advantage because of its domination of local administration and the media.

Due to a low turnout, the Communists strengthened their grip on local councils across the country. The only area where democratic parties held their ground was in the capital city of Chisnau where the incumbent, independent mayor defeated his Communist rival by a margin of 54-46 percent in a runoff election.

IRI Ukraine Program Director Chris Holzen presented preliminary findings of the elections in Moldova at a roundtable sponsored by the National Endowment for Democracy on June 5 in Washington, D.C. A final report on the local elections in Moldova will be made available next week.

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