Particularly in the situation where society is very polarized, where the party system is in a different time of transition, where we have a rise of extra-parliamentary forces, where the election results in 2014 were in one way and the composition of Parliament is now different, it is even more important to find as broad as possible consensus on if, and how to change the Electoral Code, Martin Sieg, Head of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Office Romania and Moldova, said in the international conference “Replacement of the electoral system: Pros and Cons” that was held in Chisinau, IPN reports.
Martin Sieg said the Electoral Code is, next to the Constitution, probably the most crucial issue for every democracy. And that is why it's so important to find the broadest possible. “Is the German system better than the British, or the British better than the German? I think there is no absolute rule. And I also think that the neither the British not the German system may work very well for Moldova,” he stated.
Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Moldova programs coordinator Ana Mihailov said the replacement of the electoral system is one of the most responsible decisions for a democracy because it has major effects on the political life of a country. The experience of Western states shows their electoral systems changed seldom because there was a common understanding that this is a rather sensitive subject. Broad political consensus is needed to change the electoral system, including of the political opposition.
Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Moldova Ulrike Knotz said every democracy needs a stable playing ground and reliable rules of the game. And to change these rule is a very sensible issue. “This is a major political change. That is why it has to be done in a democratic way if we are in a democracy. Therefore the Venice Commission has given the advice to Moldova to create a broad consensus about this between political parties, relevant civil society players, and also among the public as a whole,” stated the diplomat.
“What is important is that the debate is guided by the question of functionality. And in this context there is a question that deserves attention: is it possible to develop political parties when they don’t perform satisfactorily? To develop political parties doesn’t mean to make them attract more and more members, but it means to create internal party democracy and to base them on a program, on an ideological profile, to create allegiance inside the party not on the basis of personal relationships, but on a common dedication to a common goal,” said Ulrike Knotz.
The international conference “Replacement of the electoral system: Pros and Cons” was organized by the Kondrad-Adenauer Stiftung and Friedrich-Ebert Stiftung Moldova in partnership with the Association for Participatory Democracy ADEPT and the Institute for Development and Social Initiative “Viitorul”.
