Moldovan journalists and election observers claim voters were bribed in election

Record ID: 1850435

  • Title: Moldovan journalists and election observers claim voters were bribed in election
  • Date: 23rd October 2024
  • Summary: CHISINAU, MOLDOVA (OCTOBER 22, 2024) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) NICOLAE PANFIL, HEAD OF ELECTION OBSERVATION MISSION PROMO-LEX, SAYING: "In general, we can say that vote buying, corruption of voters have become more sophisticated than in the past, which is actually not single cases, not unique cases. It's a form of political clientelism when people were both or their
  • Embargoed: 6th November 2024 13:31
  • Keywords: EU Moscow Russia Sandu Shor Stoianoglo referendum war in Ukraine
  • Location: CHISINAU, MOLDOVA / KYIV, UKRAINE / INTERNET
  • City: CHISINAU, MOLDOVA / KYIV, UKRAINE / INTERNET
  • Country: Moldova
  • Topics: Europe,Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
  • Reuters ID: LVA008384522102024RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Moldovan journalists and election observers say they documented voter bribery and illegal campaign financing before and during the first round of the presidential election and the EU referendum.
    In the run-up to the vote, authorities said there had been Moscow-backed meddling attempts spearheaded by fugitive tycoon Ilan Shor, including an effort to bribe 130,000 people to vote "no" and support a specific candidate at the election. Shor denies wrongdoing.
    Investigative journalist Alina Radu, from the ‘Ziarul de Garda’ newspaper, told Reuters that her outlet documented money transfers from Russia to Moldova handed out to people to join protests and vote.
    Radu said that Moldovan police did not follow up with ‘actions’ after they had uncovered that over 100,000 voters had been bribed prior to the first round.
    In the investigation documentary, called “Serving Moscow. Three months among Shor’s ‘slaves’”, journalist Mariuta Nistor says she infiltrated a Shor party network that distributed money among Moldovan citizens prior to the elections.
    Reuters has asked the Ilan Shor party for a comment to Nistor's report and is awaiting a response.
    The head of election observation mission ‘Promo-Lex’, Nicolae Panfil, said his organisation documented at least 17 instances of “illegal financing of campaign, of abuse of financial resources and corruption of voters, mainly associated with the political bloc of Ilan Shor.”
    The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe said the voting campaigns had been marred by foreign interference and active disinformation efforts.
    The government has in recent years denounced persistent Russian meddling in Moldova's affairs, while Moscow has accused Sandu and her team of fomenting "Russophobia".
    (Production: Dorin Scobioala, Felix Hoske)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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