“I hope to see improvements in how the election is carried out compared with past elections,” said Mr Bekkevold.

Some 30 parliamentarians from many member countries of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) will observe the presidential elections in Moldova on 30 October. Mr Bekkevold will lead the delegation and speak on behalf of the Parliamentary Assembly in meetings with key players ahead of the election and during a press conference afterwards.

“Moldova, like all other member states of the OSCE, has endorsed the principles of free and fair elections,” Mr Bekkevold said. “It is our role to observe whether the election is conducted in line with these principles and whether recommendations from previous elections have been taken into account, as well as to point out any objectionable situations.”

Mr Bekkevold heads the Storting’s delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and has observed elections in Moldova before, as he has in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, the United States and twice in Kazakhstan.

Kari Henriksen (Labour Party) and Ola Elvestuen (Liberal Party), also from the Storting, will participate as short-term observers. In addition to the Parliamentary Assembly’s observers there will be about 30 long-term observers and experts and another 200 short-term observers monitoring the election for the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

A preliminary statement by the election observers will be issued right after the first election round, and can be downloaded from the website of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. If none of the presidential candidates obtains 50 per cent of the votes, a second ballot will take place on 13 November.