Refusal of Participating in Census Will Result in Fines

Refusal of taking part in the population and housing census in Moldova will result in a fine of up to MDL 2,500. The head of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Oleg Cara, announced this today. He said that the fines would be applied only in exceptional cases. “The obligation to participate in the census is natural; it has been so until now. After all, we cannot talk about reliable and quality data if the entire population does not participate in the census (...). Therefore, the legislative framework provides for this obligation (...). Penalties will be applied in exceptional cases, if no means of persuading a person to participate give a result,” Oleg Cara said. According to the NBS head, 4,500 enumerators will collect data from Moldovans. If household members were absent from home, the enumerator would be obliged to return, repeatedly, at least five times to collect data on questionnaires, Cara explained. According to Article 330 of the Contravention Code, the refusal of respondents to provide data for statistical purposes or providing erroneous data is punishable by a fine for individuals in the amount of 20 to 50 conventional units, equal to MDL 1,000 and MDL 2,500, respectively. At the same time, the responsible persons face a fine of 30 to 60 conventional units, which corresponds to MDL 1,500 and MDL 3,000, respectively, and legal entities face a fine of 50 to 80 conventional units (MDL 2,500-4,000). This year’s population and housing census in Moldova will start on 8 April and last until July.