A few hours after a new set of amendments to the Electoral Code was approved in the first reading, Parliament voted on the bill in the final reading.
The new rules set out criteria for not allowing members of a party that was declared unconstitutional to stand for election. This includes persons suspected, accused or indicted of committing crimes that were cited by the Constitutional Court in declaring the respective party unconstitutional. The new provisions are to enter into force upon publishing in the Official Gazette.
Additionally, the persons who were excluded from a previous election due to violating campaign funding rules will not be admitted to elections, and this fact was retained as a distinct argument when the political party was declared unconstitutional. Barred will also be those guilty of committing acts that led to them being subjected to international sanctions by international organizations or governments, this fact constituting a particular circumstance retained by the Court in declaring the respective party unconstitutional.
In enforcing the restrictions, the General Police Inspectorate, the National Anticorruption Center, the Intelligence and Security Service and the General Prosecutor’s Office are to present to the Central Electoral Commission the information regarding the persons who fall under the approved criteria. Based on the information presented, the CEC will compile a list of people who fall under the new restrictions and will communicate it to the electoral bodies.
The law amending the Electoral Code also provides for the effective judicial remedy - the possibility of contesting the administrative decisions by which the respective restrictions will be applied at the Chisinau Court of Appeal.
The restriction to run will be valid for a period of 3 years from declaring the respective party unconstitutional.
