Sweden joins the UNDP project "Strengthening democratic resilience in Moldova", to be implemented during 2024-2028, with a contribution of approx. US$1,946,800. The project, also co-funded by Norway and Canada, aims to improve oversight of political financing, parties, and election campaigns, to strengthen and make electoral institutions more resilient against cyber and information challenges and to boost civic engagement.

The main counterparts of the project are the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) and the Center for Continuous Electoral Training (CICDE), continuing a UNDP initiative implemented from 2017 in two phases, with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the British Embassy in Chișinău and Netherlands.

“Sweden proudly joins Norway and Canada in supporting UNDP’s ‘Strengthening democratic resilience in Moldova’ project. Together, we aim to ensure that every Moldovan can vote with confidence in the upcoming elections, knowing their voice matters and that democracy is robust, protected from external threats and internal vulnerabilities,” said Katarina Fried, Ambassador of Sweden to the Republic of Moldova.

“UNDP welcomes Sweden's contribution to further strengthen the resilience of Moldova’s democratic institutions and processes, enhance the oversight of political finance, and broaden civic engagement for all citizens," noted Daniela Gasparikova, UNDP Resident Representative to the Republic of Moldova.

The project will contribute to strengthening authorities’ efforts to oversight political finance and to counter elicit political finance by leveraging innovation and collaborative approaches. UNDP will support the enhancement of digital electoral management capabilities, by further optimization of the State Automated Information System for Elections (SAISE). 

To strengthen institutional capacity and resilience, UNDP will work with the CEC and CICDE to strengthen strategic communication capabilities, training, and further enhance digital capabilities and services. 

To contribute to a more transparent, inclusive, and efficient electoral process, the project will leverage partnerships with civil society, with the objective of boosting the civic participation of women, people with disabilities and marginalized communities, such as Roma or those from rural areas. Enhancements are being made to polling stations to increase their accessibility.

In the context of the presidential elections and the constitutional referendum on 20 October 2024, UNDP, with funding provided by USAID Moldova, supported efforts to optimize the information systems used on elections day:

• The Voting Day information system, which ensures the identification of voters in the polling station, preventing multiple voting. It also allows for the compilation of minutes of results electronically, avoiding paper reporting. In addition to these functionalities, the system provides data for the public page (pv.cec.md) on voter turnout and election results.
• pv.cec.md - a public page displaying real-time data on preliminary election results by candidates, as well as voter turnout, disaggregated by gender and age.

At the same time, UNDP, with funding from Norway and the United Kingdom, has supported the CEC to conduct a “Vote with Confidence” campaign, focusing on promoting informed electoral participation. In partnership with the Police, UNDP has supported a campaign aimed at encouraging electoral integrity and informing about the sanctions for vote buying. 

One novelty at the polling stations on 20 October and 3 November was “I voted” stickers, allowing voters to display their civic pride and engagement. Bracelets for young people voting for the first time which say “My first vote” were produced and distributed during the first round of the presidential elections.