Representatives of civil society express their concern and bewilderment at the unjustified delay in adopting a number of bills. They demand including the bills on electoral gender quotas, the reformation of party and election campaign funding, the control over tobacco products and the media ownership transparency in the Parliament’s agenda and passing them immediately, IPN reports.

The statement signed by the National NGO Council, the National Participation Council, the Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections, the Anticorruption Alliance, and the Civic Initiative for Integrity in the Public Service, which was addressed to the Parliament’s Standing Bureau and the MPs, says that these bills could and should have been adopted in the previous session of the legislature as they were thoroughly analyzed and endorsed by all the interested sides.

According to civil society, the non-adoption of the amendments that institute a minimum quota of women’s representation on the lists of candidates and of the package of measures aimed at increasing media ownership transparency in the light of this November’s legislative elections represent political irresponsibility that will lead to the perpetuation of electoral and democratic deficiencies until the next elections.

The non-passage in the final reading of the package of laws on tobacco control, which has been in Parliament for eight months, favors tobacco use among minors. Also, the people are not protected from cigarette smoke in closed public areas and are not efficiently informed about the consequences of tobacco for health. A climate that favors illegal trading, smuggling in cigarettes and corruption is thus maintained. As a result, the state budget, public health, the social and economic environments are seriously affected.

Civil society demands implementing the provisions referring to the electoral process in the parliamentary elections of this year, including those concerning the electoral gender quotas and the reformation of party and election campaign funding, namely the ceiling on donations and the reporting requirements towards election runners.