Paula Cardoso and Linnéa Wickman meet with CEC officials in Chisinau, 4 Sept. 2025CHISINAU, 24 September 2025 – The leaders of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s election observation mission to Moldova arrive in Chisinau today as a delegation of some 80 OSCE parliamentarians prepares to deploy for the country’s parliamentary elections on Sunday.
Portuguese parliamentarian Paula Cardoso, who has been appointed by the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office as Special Co-ordinator and leader of the short-term OSCE observers, and Swedish parliamentarian Linnéa Wickman, who has been appointed by the OSCE PA President as Head of the PA’s delegation of observers, will open the joint parliamentary briefing programme on Friday.
OSCE PA observers are working closely with partners from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, who have been on the ground since mid-August, as well as observers from the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
“As Moldova navigates these elections, we believe steadfast commitment to transparency and international standards is essential, and this is where international election observation comes in,” Cardoso and Wickman wrote in an op-ed published earlier this week. “Based on our established methodology, we will help determine the credibility of the process and our assessment could help solidify Moldova’s democratic path. Working with our partners, we urge all stakeholders to uphold integrity, ensuring every Moldovan’s voice counts in shaping a secure, prosperous future.”
Following two days of thorough briefings by election stakeholders, administrators, media and civil society representatives, and experts, OSCE parliamentarians will deploy to various regions of Moldova for election day observation. Their observations will be compiled and analyzed for inclusion in the statement of preliminary findings and conclusions, to be presented at a joint press conference of the international election observation mission on 29 September.
In a pre-electoral visit to Chisinau earlier this month, Cardoso and Wickman held extensive discussions with representatives of Moldova’s election administration bodies, political parties and candidates, civil society, and the media. They also met with the OSCE PA’s election observation partners from OSCE/ODIHR, and representatives of the OSCE Mission to Moldova.
For information on previous election observation missions to Moldova, please click here.
Photos of the election observation mission are available for public use on Flickr.
