Promo-LEX expert on Moldova 1 TV: Election campaign marked by manipulation, hidden funding, and foreign influence
The election campaign for the September 28 parliamentary elections is one of the most tense and complex in recent years, marked by non-transparent internal practices, external influences, and polarization, according to a new report by the Promo-LEX Association. Mihaela Duca Anghelici, head of the analysis team, says that the electoral process is affected by the abusive use of administrative resources, involvement of religious institutions, and illegal financing of political parties by the Russian Federation.
Intense election campaign and external influence
“The election campaign for the 2025 parliamentary elections was more intense than in previous contests and was marked by tensions related to Moldova’s status as an EU candidate country, as well as by the involvement of the Russian Federation in the electoral process. We observed an active campaign from the electoral contenders, with the most active being the Action and Solidarity Party and the Patriotic Electoral Bloc. We found that each accounted for roughly 26% of all observed activities,” said Mihaela Duca Anghelici, head of the analysis team at Promo-LEX, on Moldova 1 TV.
Abuse of administrative resources, a frequent practice
The Promo-LEX report documented multiple cases of abusive use of administrative resources, a practice that undermines the integrity of the electoral process.
“We also observed abusive use of administrative resources in the last two weeks, with at least 84 cases reported by Promo-LEX observers. These include claiming credit for projects funded with public money, using government offices for electoral activities, involving mayors and public officials in campaigns during work hours, and organizing campaign meetings with employees in the public sector,” explained the Promo-LEX expert.
Electoral spending and unreported funding
Promo-LEX identified at least 693,000 lei in unreported spending, mainly for social media promotion, raising concerns about the transparency of political financing.
“Contenders spent approximately 23 million lei in total. 78% of this spending was concentrated among four contenders: the Action and Solidarity Party, the Alternative Electoral Bloc, the Patriotic Electoral Bloc, and Our Party,” noted Mihaela Duca Anghelici.
Coordinated Manipulation and Social Media Influence
Another critical aspect highlighted in the report is the manipulation of public opinion through coordinated campaigns, including the involvement of external actors.
“We identified at least 15 activities aimed at manipulating public opinion, some coordinated from the Russian Federation. These disseminated both sponsored and free content, often pro-Russian or anti-EU, but also messages supporting European integration. We also observed coordinated inauthentic behavior, including fake accounts and cloned websites designed to amplify narratives that could compromise the electoral process,” concluded the expert, highlighting vulnerabilities to disinformation.
The Promo-LEX report counts 1,984 campaign activities, with administrative resources used in at least 84 cases. Religious institutions were involved in six cases, and 72 cases documented hate speech generated by politicians, electoral contenders, and supporters.
We remind you that Friday, September 26, is the last day of campaign activity before Sunday’s parliamentary elections.
