In 2019, parliamentary elections took place in the Republic of Moldova (February 2019), general local elections simultaneously with new parliamentary elections (October 2019). The People's Advocate monitored the election processes, the problems identified and publicized, including through the special reports of specialized NGOs, complaints and appeals submitted to the CEC. Among the problems that were identified we highlight the impossibility of participation in elections of citizens of the diaspora due to the lack of valid identity documents; arranging a limited number of polling stations abroad, which is why not all citizens who wanted to exercise their right to vote had this possibility, even if they traveled quite long distances for this purpose. Regarding the general local elections, according to the Final Report of the Promo-LEX Association Observation Mission, attention was drawn to the fact that the legislation still treats independent candidates unequally compared to those nominated by political parties and electoral blocs, forcing only them to collect signatures in the subscription lists. In addition, for the municipalities of Chisinau and Balti, the number of signatures requested in the subscription lists, in the opinion of the Mission, remains exaggerated. They were submitted and some criticisms regarding the Central Electoral Commission and the courts, referring to the lack of clarity on the jurisdiction of the examination of appeals, as well as the narrow view advocated by the Central Electoral Commission on the registration of candidates for constituency commissions, which have resulted in several times being denied the right to an effective remedy, contrary to international standards.28 Some election candidates have published their own observation reports on the electoral fraud in the parliamentary elections of February 24, 2019, which states that the elections cannot be classified as free or fair.29 According to international observation missions, “the parliamentary elections of February 24, 2019 were competitive and fundamental rights were generally respected. The election campaign took place against the background of dissatisfaction with public institutions and was overshadowed by assumptions about pressure on public employees, clear indications of vote buying and misuse of state resources. Control and ownership of the media has limited the range of opinions presented to voters. Most aspects of the elections were managed in a professional 28 29 https://www.osce.org/ro/odihr/elections/moldova/412367?download=true https://acum.md/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Raport_Fraude_Alegeri_2019_Blocul_ACUM-DA-PAS.pdf 21