Promo-LEX Association presented a draft methodology for establishing polling stations abroad. The document provides that the organization of the stations should be transparent and based on the observance of the technical criteria provided in the Election Code. The draft was proposed to the Central Election Commission and political parties.
Contacted by IPN for a comment, Igor Bucataru, head of the analysis team and one of the authors of the regulations, said that amendments to the Election Code were approved last August. Until now, the problem resided in the identification of the entity responsible for establishing the polling stations (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration or CEC). Following the approval of those changes, the CEC became directly responsible for establishing polling stations abroad, especially those situated outside embassies and consulates.
According to the author, the Election Code stipulates three criteria that should be taken into account when opening polling places, namely: preliminary registration; number of voters at previous elections and number of expats on the territory of the given state.
Until now they every time announced how many polling stations will be established, not yet the criteria according to which this is done. What Promo-LEX proposed is to monitor if the legislation is obeyed and if transparency is ensured, which is publication of data based on which a particular number of polling stations should be established.
Based on the public data available at present, the representatives of Promo-LEX worked out an analysis-simulation of the number of polling stations that were to be established for the 2019 parliamentary elections according to the aforementioned criteria. Under the methodology proposed by Promo-LEX, 38 polling places were to be opened in Italy, 34 in Russia and 12 in Romania.
