The Central Electoral Commission has set up a working group to develop a set of amendments to the Electoral Code. The initiative aims to change the composition, mandate, structure and procedure of appointing members to the Central Electoral Commission, and also make electoral bodies permanent, at least of second level. This was announced by CEC vice president Pavel Postica during a video conference organized by the Institute for European Policies and Reforms, IPN reports.

The legislative proposal will also specify aspects related to the settlement of electoral disputes, as well as sanctions for electoral violations. Further digitization of electoral processes and alternative voting methods will also be part of the announced draft.

The bill is expected to be proposed for public debate by late January or early February, and by April it could be registered in Parliament by a competent authority. The opinion of the Venice Commission will be sought before it passes the final reading, said Postica. If it’s adopted by next fall, a year will remain until the next national election, which is enough under the national legislation.

Nicolae Panfil, program director at Promo-LEX, said the drafters will to address the use of administrative resources as an element of influencing elections. Also, says Panfil, the CEC should create a separate division to monitor finances of political parties.

Increased attention needs to be paid to appeals, an area where there are still many legal gaps. Clarifications are also needed for aspects related to setting up polling stations abroad and in the Transnistrian region. Another issue to be addressed is hate speech in the election campaign, says Nicolae Panfil.

The event was organized in partnership with the Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections, with the support of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.