Speaker of Parliament Andrian Candu had a meeting with the joint delegation of the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR that is paying a fact-finding visit to Moldova during May 9-11. The visit takes place in connection with the preparation by the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR of the appraisal of the bill to review the electoral legislation of Moldova, IPN reports, quoting the legislature’s press service.

“We bank on the expertise and recommendations of the Venice Commission so that we could discuss the bill in Parliament in the second reading. A working group will improve the bill based on the recommendations that will come from all the development partners,” stated Andrian Candu.

Parliament will vote changes to the electoral system only after the Venice Commission provides its appraisal of the compromise bill that was broadly supported and passed in the first reading by the votes of 74 MPs on May 5.

On May 9, the members of joint commission of the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR met with leaders of extraparliamentary parties. Today the experts will have meetings with the leaders of parliamentary groups, president of the Central Election Commission and the ministry of justice. There was also scheduled a discussion with representatives of civil society and President Igor Dodon.

The Venice Commission’s appraisal of the bill to change the electoral system is to be published this June.