Venice Commission critically evaluates change of Moldova's electoral system

Chisinau, 16 June /MOLDPRES/ - The Venice Commission today adopted notifications which critically evaluate the draft law on the change of the electoral system of Moldova and a draft on Constitution’s amendment concerning the enhancement of Moldovan president’s powers.  

A press release by the Venice Commission reads that the reform of the electoral system was proposed and submitted for approval by Parliament Speaker Andrian Candu, who today participated in the Venice Commission’s plenary session to exchange opinions ahead of the adoption of a joint notification by the Commission.     

“Following public consultations with all interested sides, the joint notification concluded that the reform suggested cannot be considered as backed by wide consensus. “Significant problems” are raised, including the risk that the MPs, elected in districts, might be influenced by business interests,” reads the communiqué by the Venice Commission.

At the same time, in accordance with the joint notification, “the responsibility of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) to establish districts with single mandates for the majority component is based on vague criteria, which poses a risk of political influence on this aspect of CEC’s work,” the Venice Commission’s press release also reads.    

Other reasons for concern represent the lack of clearly set criteria for the creation of districts in the Transnistrian region and for the citizens from abroad.

Also, the Venice Commission critically assessed President Igor Dodon’s draft on the amendment of Article 85 of the Constitution, which regards the enhancement of the powers of the head of state as to the parliament’s dissolution. The Venice Commission’s notification reads that “this might give the president an excessive executive power to use the parliament’s dissolution as instrument of “party policy” within the current parliamentary regime.”  

Both notifications passed by the Venice Commission are to be published till Monday, 19 June.  

The leader of the Democratic Party of Moldova (PDM), Vlad Plahotniuc, has earlier said that the MPs would take into account the recommendations by the Venice Commission concerning the amendment of the electoral system and changes would be made to the concerned draft law, so that it meets the international rigours.  

The parliament adopted, in the first reading, two drafts on the amendment of the electoral system: a proposal by PDM on the introduction of the uninominal voting and another one of the Party of Socialists on the mixed electoral system. Following consultations, the parliamentary juridical commission for rules and immunities ruled to merge the drafts for the second reading.

(Reporter A. Plitoc, editor L. Alcaza)