The Moldovan MPs are obliged to abide by the Venice Commission’s recommendations concerning the switchover from the party-list proportional representation system to the mixed-member electoral system. The issue was developed in the talk show “In Depth” on PRO TV Chisinau channel, IPN reports.
Iurie Tap, MP of the Liberal Democratic Party, which is against the replacement of the electoral system, said the recommendations of the Venice Commission should be implemented even if they are not mandatory in character. “Our country is under monitoring. This means vote of no-confidence. No country that entered the European Union ignored the recommendations of the Venice Commission,” he stated.
Liberal Party deputy chairman Valeriu Munteanu, whose party also opposes the electoral system change, said the Venice Commission’s recommendations should be strictly followed. “It is a legal appraisal by which experts of the Venice Commission express their concerns. The Republic of Moldova risks remaining in the black list of Europe if the Venice Commission’s recommendations are ignored,” stated the Liberal heavyweight.
Vladimir Turcan, MP of the Party of Socialists that proposed the draft law to switch over to the mixed-member system, said the bill should be adjusted to the opinion of the Venice Commission. “The Venice Commission’s recommendations are very important and should be respected. We must borrow the good practices in case law and transpose them to our legislation,” stated the MP.
MP Valeriu Giletski, who heads the European People’s Party group, said the members of their group will take a decision as to the voting in the second reading of the bill to introduce the mixed-member system depending on the Venice Commission’s recommendations and how they are implemented.
In a call-in, the Democratic Party’s spokesman Vitalie Gamurari said the Venice Commission’s recommendations will be considered for improving the bill to introduce the mixed-member electoral system. “The bill will be then examined in Parliament as not only the PDM represents the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova,” he stated.
During its plenary session on June 16, the Venice Commission adopted opinions that critically assess the draft law for Moldova’s electoral system for the election of Parliament and a proposal to expand presidential powers. Following extensive public consultations with all relevant stakeholders, the joint opinion concluded that the proposed reform cannot be considered as having been adopted by broad consensus. It raises “significant concerns” including the risk that constituency members of parliament would be vulnerable to being influenced by business interests. Furthermore, according to the joint opinion, “the responsibility vested with the Central Election Commission to establish single-mandate constituencies for the majoritarian component is based on vague criteria that pose a risk of political influence.
