All 11 candidates running in the presidential race used about 78 million euros for open and documented online advertising. This was reported to our publication on the sidelines of the regional conference “Money in Politics in the Digital Age” by the chairperson of the Central Electoral Commission, Angela Karaman. The event takes place in Chisinau on July 8-9.
“That is, over 70 million euros are declared, while the real figure is almost 2.5 times higher,” she said. – And, unfortunately, in our legislation such indirect advertising, which is carried out through third parties, is practically not regulated. As well as the use of virtual currencies. And they are also already used in Moldova. Today there are various possibilities of financing candidates, and our task is that these funds should be transparent and monitored. Because our legislation limits the financing of electoral contestants, so that they would be on an equal footing in this sense”.
The topic of digitalization of the electoral process is also very relevant in terms of protecting our systems and the information space in general. Today, citizens are increasingly informed from the Internet and social networks. In 2024, the CEC monitored social networks, and this year it also intends to monitor each social network separately. In order to check the data that candidates submit to the CEC with the indicators of online platforms.
Regarding the state’s financial means that are distributed to parties for development, the CEC chairperson emphasizes: “In Moldova, the meaning of the law is that a party receives funding for every voter’s vote cast for it in elections. Therefore, the parties that are registered must participate in them. And if their representatives have proposals to improve the legislation, they should present them”.
