On October 11, 2016, the Ombudsperson, Mihail Cotorobai, met the Head of the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission for the 2016 Presidential Elections in Moldova, Douglas Wake, and the Legal Analyst of the Mission, Xenya Dashutina.
The OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission will be observing the 2016 Presidential Elections in Moldova, assessing the compliance of the election process with the OSCE commitmentsand other international obligations and standards for democratic elections, as well as with the national legislation.
In this connection, the Head of Mission, Douglas Wake, informed the Ombudsperson’s Institution about the objectives of the mission, some practical aspects about how the mission will be carried out, highlighting, among others, that the mission will launch an interim report about the 2016 elections.
The Ombudsman informed his interlocutors about the recent institutional changes within his office and highlighted that continuity is an important element of its activity, including in terms of securing the observance of the electoral rights.
Mihail Cotorobai also informed about the cooperation of the Ombudsperson’s Institution with the Central Election Commission, about the joint activities conducted within the previous election campaign, the awareness campaigns in the field of elections in which staff of the Ombudsperson’s Office participated, activities for monitoring the observance of the electoral rights during the elections, meetings and working sessions with the decision-makers, as well as about the receipt of petitions about the violation of electoral rights.
In addition, the Ombudsperson informed the delegation about the recommendation for amending the Electoral Code in order to secure the right to vote to the persons deprived of the legal capacity, and approving a package of laws to ensure the implementation of Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Mr. Cotorobai underscored the commitment of his institution to defend the electoral rights of persons with disabilities. He also mentioned the recommendations by the ombudsperson to have the ballots printed in the Braille language and ensure the interpreting of news programs into the sign language, particularly during the election period.
The Ombudsperson stressed the importance of his institution in developing a democratic society based on the respect of human rights and freedoms.
