The July 20 vote of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova to implement changes to the country’s electoral system goes directly counter to the recent recommendations of the Venice Commission and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, says a statement by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President  of the European Commission Federica Mogherini and Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn on the amendments to the electoral legislation in the Republic of Moldova, IPN reports.

According to the European officials, while the choice of an electoral system is a sovereign decision of a State, the European Union strongly believes that any change to the electoral system should strengthen democracy, be based on a broad consensus amongst political forces, and follow a genuine consultation of civil society and recommendations of the international partners.

“We continue to share the view of the Venice Commission and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights that the proposed changes raise serious concerns regarding effective democracy in the current political context,” reads the statement.

This also says the European Union will continue to follow closely the developments around the electoral reform and its implementation. The EU has repeatedly stressed the need to respect effective democratic mechanisms, including a multi-party parliamentary system and the rule of law.

According to Johannes Hahn and Federica Mogherini, the implementation of these changes will be assessed also in light of the Republic of Moldova’s obligations under the Association Agreement and as a member of the Council of Europe.