The decision taken by the National Extraordinary Public Health Commission on August 12, concerning the general mandatory rules for preventing and combating the COVID-19 infection when holding elections, is insufficient. The voting by persons with COVID-19, by those who self-isolate should be regulated as only three weeks remained until the elections, the standing expert of IPN’s project Igor Boțan stated in the public debate “Does legal framework guarantee free and fair elections? Who guarantees correct implementation of legal framework?” that was staged by IPN News Agency.
The pandemic factor is extremely important now, from the viewpoint of the validation of elections, given the people’s fear to go to polling places. On the one hand, the invalidation of elections would be impossible as about 1.5 million of the 3.2 million people eligible to vote cast their ballots according to the statistics for the last few years. On the other hand, this becomes possible given the latest data on infection with COVID-19.
Igor Boțan noted the Republic of Moldova, unlike other states, has a particularity, namely the separatist enclave situated over the river that is not controlled. There is not much international experience as to how the people from these territories, more exactly the Moldovan citizens from this territory, can vote.
“In Georgia and Ukraine, it is banned by law to organize elections in electoral constitutions that are located on uncontrolled territories. In the Republic of Moldova, such a practice was ignored as there was interest. Where there is interest there is no reason.”
The expert said not in many countries one third of the citizens are abroad, as in Moldova’s case. Therefore, the voting procedures for the Moldovans abroad should be better regulated. There is also the problem of relations between the Moldovan authorities and the authorities of the host countries. The issue concerning polling stations located outside embassies or consulates should be every time discussed, agreed, approved. But there is a particular experience in this regard and this thing can and should be done.
The public debate “Does legal framework guarantee free and fair elections? Who guarantees correct implementation of legal framework?” was the 155th installment of the series “Developing political culture through public debates” that is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
