Moldova to gain Venice Commission's support to improve electoral legislation

Chisinau, 01 March /MOLDPRES/ – The Venice Commission will continue to support Moldova in particular to identify the best solutions for improving the electoral legislation. The statement was made today by the President of Venice Commission, Gianni Buquicchio after meeting with Speaker Andrian Candu, the parliament's communication and public relations department has reported. 

"We will organize broad debate to identify the best solutions in Parliament for the electoral system and we will work with Venice Commission to find the best experience," Andrian Candu said.

Similarly, the Parliament Speaker expressed the necessity to rectify the shortcomings in the electoral legislation of the functioning electoral system in Moldova, including Diaspora voting and voting citizens of the region. In this context, Andrian Candu announced to be in the process of establishing of Working Group, composed of MPs from all parliamentary factions, involving civil society and development partners, to consider proposals to improve electoral legislation, taking into account the Venice Commission's recommendations, the Constitutional Court, international observers mission from the Council of Europe, EU and OSCE, as well as proposals from civil society.

The President of Venice Commission noted that Moldova faces currently two challenges, one related to the initiative on granting additional powers of the President to dissolve Parliament, and the other – to amend the electoral law. Referring to the initiative to amend the Constitution, Gianni Buquicchio said that experts from Venice Commission always opted for maintaining the balance between state powers.

Referring to the changing electoral legislation, Buquicchio said that "Venice Commission will not interfere in the choice of electoral system suitable model for Moldova, but will share best practices in the field to improve electoral legislation. Today the world shows a deficit of trust in traditional politics. The issue is justified as to identify a better electoral system so that people's confidence to be restored," said the President of Venice Commission.

The officials said that the legislative changes had to be adopted a year before the elections, the project being subject to broad debate and participation of civil society and the reform of the electoral system to be adopted by broad political consensus.