PSRM and ACUM lawmakers today approved a bill upon first reading to annul the mixed electoral system and return to the proportional one.

Presenting the bill, Sergiu Litvinenco (ACUM/PAS) said the mixed system needed to be annulled in accordance with the critical opinion of the Venice Commission. Litvinenco added that the bill also improves the electoral legislation by allowing Moldovans abroad to vote with expired passports.

During the debate, it was proposed to introduce electronic voting and to rethink the way votes received by losing candidates translate to seat allocation. The proposals will be introduced before second reading.

The approved bill also significantly reduces the limit of contributions that can be made to political parties during campaigns. Another amendment allows people who earned income abroad to make campaign contributions.

At the same Parliament meeting, a number of amendments to the Prosecution Law passed first reading. Notably, they will allow a non-citizen to become Prosecutor General in a selection process that will no longer be the exclusive prerogative of the prosecutors’ community.