Promo-LEX maintains that the adjustment of the electoral legislation for the organization of the regional elections in Gagauzia, scheduled for November 15, is necessary and must be carried out urgently. At the same time, the association requests that the Parliament organize public consultations before the second reading and maintains that the other proposed changes to the Electoral Code should be examined separately, after consulting political parties, civil society, and other interested actors, reports IPN.

The project to amend the Electoral Code was registered by a group of PAS deputies on July 27 and scheduled for examination in the first reading at the meeting on July 30.

Promo-LEX specifies that the necessary adjustments for the organization of regional elections in Gagauzia are justified, including in the context of the Constitutional Court’s decision of July 9, which obliges the Parliament to adapt the electoral framework to include these elections in the national system.

However, the organization argues that the other provisions of the project, such as the extension of postal voting, the creation of polling stations for voters from the Transnistrian region, and changes regarding the financing of electoral campaigns, should not be adopted in an accelerated manner. These must be subjected to public consultations with political parties, civil society, and competent institutions.

The Association further draws attention to the fact that the project does not include several recommendations from the Venice Commission and election observation missions, and does not fully meet the commitments undertaken by the Republic of Moldova in the process of joining the European Union. Among the recommendations made are ensuring the accessibility of the electoral process for people with disabilities, increasing the transparency of party financing, and regulating the involvement of third parties in electoral campaigns.