President Maia Sandu says that any voting system must be safe and fully respect the voter’s will. Interference in this process either from outside the country or from within would mean a great security risk for Moldova’s democratic future. This was stated by President Maia Sandu at the Diaspora Congress, taking place in Chisinau on Friday.

“An important thing concerns elections and ensuring better conditions for our citizens abroad, so that they can participate in the electoral processes taking place in Moldova. You know the role of the diaspora in preserving Moldova’s democratic course of development, and how great the contribution of the diaspora is in preserving Moldova’s European integration. Our priority is to bring the European Union to our home as quickly as possible, because, first of all, the European Union is primarily a project of peace, and we all want to live in peace. The European Union is a project of democracy, of respecting the rights of all citizens”, the president emphasized.

Maia Sandu recalled that a new Electoral Code was adopted, which took effect in January 2023. This new iteration affords the possibility, in certain cases determined by the Central Electoral Commission, to organize voting over the course of two days. Also, the right of citizens to vote with expired passports is strengthened in the Electoral Code. “Because regardless of whether the passport is expired or not, those who hold these passports are citizens of Moldova and have the right to vote enshrined in the Constitution. To avoid all kinds of interpretations, as we saw in the past, we have written this into the law. Also, the CEC is offered the possibility of opening polling stations abroad not only within diplomatic missions and consular offices, but also in localities where at least 500 voters who are citizens of Moldova are temporarily or permanently residing”.

Another problem encountered in the past was the insufficient number of ballot papers allotted to each electoral office. The law increased this number from 3,000 to 5,000. Discussions also continue on the topic of electronic voting. In addition, a group in Parliament is working on a bill to enable voting by mail. It will be soon put up for public discussions, the president announced, encouraging the diaspora to get involved in this process.

The Diaspora Congress is organized as part of the Diaspora Days, held in Chisinau on August 18 and 19.