The European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO) has identified a number of structural concerns in its final report on Moldova’s parliamentary elections held on 28 September 2025

ENEMO warning that measures adopted to protect electoral integrity may themselves have undermined democratic safeguards.

While ENEMO concluded that the elections were technically administered and completed, the mission emphasized that the broader process took place in a highly polarized environment and under a legal framework that increasingly concentrates power in the hands of the executive and security institutions

 Last-minute legal changes and broad executive powers

ENEMO notes that Moldova’s Electoral Code has been amended twelve times since 2022, including several major changes adopted shortly before the 2025 elections. Although intended to counter vote-buying and foreign interference, the timing and scope of these amendments reduced legal certainty and complicated implementation.

Several provisions grant wide discretionary powers to the Ministry of Justice and the Intelligence and Security Service (SIS), particularly in areas related to extremism, party suspension and online content blocking. ENEMO warns that such broadly worded norms risk disproportionate restrictions on freedoms of expression, assembly and association, depending on how they are enforced

Deregistration of contestants close to election day

The mission expressed concern over the deregistration and restriction of political parties during the final phase of the campaign, including the removal of “Great Moldova” just two days before election day. Although courts upheld these decisions, ENEMO stressed that late enforcement actions undermined legal certainty and limited voters’ ability to make an informed choice

Election administration under political pressure

ENEMO acknowledged the professional performance of the Central Election Commission (CEC), but observed that on politically sensitive issues, voting patterns within the Commission mirrored the public positions of election contestants.
The involvement of the Public Services Agency, an executive body, in preliminary party eligibility checks was also flagged as a factor that may weaken public confidence in the impartiality of candidate registration

 Voting rights of Transnistrian residents

Particular attention was drawn to the situation of voters residing on the left bank of the Nistru River. The number of polling stations and ballots allocated to these voters was sharply reduced, and several stations were relocated shortly before election day.
ENEMO concluded that the absence of clear, pre-established criteria for such decisions created a risk of unequal enjoyment of voting rights and fueled perceptions of disenfranchisement among affected voters

ENEMO’s final assessment underscores a central dilemma facing Moldova: while confronting genuine threats to electoral integrity, the authorities relied on measures that may have weakened democratic checks and balances.
The report calls for clearer legal safeguards, greater transparency and stronger judicial oversight to ensure that future efforts to protect elections do not come at the expense of fundamental political rights.

Source: ENEMO