The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) has given its positive approval to a legislative draft aimed at amending certain normative acts, specifically targeting the effective prevention and combating of electoral corruption and its related aspects, IPN reports.
According to CEC member Rita Lefter-Simasco, following an analysis of the current electoral process context, the CEC considers it necessary to strengthen legal measures to prevent and combat external influences and those of authorized criminal groups on electoral processes.
The proposed draft includes stricter penalties for actions carried out in the interest of an organized criminal group or criminal organization, or those financed from external sources, intended to influence voters to exercise or refrain from exercising their electoral rights.
Additionally, the draft addresses the prevention and combating of electoral corruption involving national entities that could undermine the integrity of the electoral process. According to the CEC, these measures aim to provide a more robust legal framework for protecting elections from illegal, including external, influences while strengthening their transparency and fairness.
The draft also introduces a new basis for conducting special investigative measures outside of criminal proceedings in cases of electoral corruption, especially when there are suspicions of an imminent threat to national security.
Furthermore, the draft proposes amendments to the Contravention Code by supplementing Article 49 with an additional normative provision, specifically addressing the video recording of completed ballots. This act, often used by corrupt voters as proof of voting for a specific electoral competitor, is targeted for elimination.
The proposed intervention seeks to remove any possibility of pressure or manipulation by individuals demanding evidence of voting in a particular way following voter corruption.
The legislative draft was developed by a group of PAS deputies.
