The paper includes the analysis of the election observation activity in the Republic of Moldova. The author draws attention to the issues regarding normative regulation, as well as highlights the main stages in the institutionalization and evolution of observer status. The main problems faced by the observation missions that monitored the elections in the Republic of Moldova were investigated, both based on the experience of national and international missions. The legal framework is analyzed in the light of the provisions of the Electoral Code and the CEC Regulation on the status of observers and their accreditation procedure. The problems detected in the activity of the observers, both those from the civil society and the electoral contestants, are also highlighted. Conclusions are also drawn on the degree of freedom held by observers during election monitoring.