International observers in the first round of Romania's presidential election were appreciative of the way Sunday's vote was organized and conducted, stating that the election unfolded in an "atmosphere of fairness, integrity and transparency, essential values for the course of a consolidated democracy", the Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP) reported on Monday.
The electoral observation program for Romania's 2025 presidential election organized by the Permanent Electoral Authority between May 2 and 5 ended on Monday with a session where the international observers present expressed their appreciation for the way the vote was organized and conducted, the AEP said in a release.
Also, the participating international observers noted that the electoral rights of all citizens were respected during the election, as the people were able to freely express their voting options, the AEP specifies.
"The Permanent Electoral Authority thanks the 159 observers accredited to the Romanian presidential election: participants in the Electoral Observation Program organized by the AEP (partner international organizations, international electoral authorities and representatives of diplomatic missions), representatives of the OSCE/ODIHR (the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights) and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, as well as foreign journalists," the release states.
During the Program's closing event, the president of the Permanent Electoral Authority Zsombor Vajda emphasized the importance of free and fair elections for a consolidated democracy and reiterated the firm commitment of the Romanian institutions involved in organizing the electoral processes to fulfilling their mission and duties established by law.
The AEP leadership noted the conclusions publicly expressed by the representatives of the US Federal Election Commission at the end of the fact-checking visit, who conveyed that the presidential election was held in accordance with international democratic standards and reflects the commitment of the institutions involved in the vote's organization to free and fair democratic processes.
The 159 international observers accredited by the Permanent Electoral Authority for the presidential election include international partner organizations such as RECEF (Le Reseau des competences electorales), A-WEB (the World Association of Electoral Bodies) and the Swiss Democracy Foundation, as well as international electoral authorities: the US Federal Election Commission, the State Electoral Office of Estonia, the Central Electoral Commission of Lithuania, the Electoral Commission of Malta, the National Electoral Institute of Mexico, the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Moldova, the Central Electoral Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Supreme Electoral Council of the Republic of Turkey, the Electoral Commission of South Africa, the Electoral Commission of the Republic of the Philippines, the National Electoral Office of Hungary, the Central Electoral Commission of Albania, the Central Electoral Commission of Ukraine, the Independent Higher Authority for Elections of Tunisia, the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Electoral Commission of India.
Representatives of the diplomatic missions to Bucharest of the United States of America, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Canada, France, Norway, Sweden, Hungary, Turkey and the Republic of Kazakhstan participated in the Election Observation Program.
Representatives of the OSCE/ODIHR and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, as well as foreign journalists accredited by the AEP also acted as observes in the electoral process.
''Election observation is an internationally common practice aimed at ensuring the transparency of the electoral process and confirming the proper functioning of the institutional mechanisms involved in the organization and conduct of elections. The visit of international observers is meant to facilitate exchanges of experience with experts from similar institutions, as well as with representatives of international organizations active in the electoral field, and to promote the best electoral practices developed by Romania,'' the AEP states.
The accredited international observers participated in briefing sessions on the national regulatory framework for Romania's presidential election, as well as on the organization of the electoral process in Romania.
The meetings also included talks on the conduct of the elections from the perspective of practices and solutions implemented to ensure IT security and the challenges that may arise in the online environment during the electoral period.
The accredited international observers were also present on election day in the polling stations to observe the unfolding of the electoral process.
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