Drawbacks in the electoral legislation may lead to fraud in the upcoming presidential elections. Sergiu Litvinenco, PAS MP, thinks the Parliament should urgently assemble next week to amend the elections legislation in line with the recommendations received from the Venice Commission this week, IPN reports.
The joint opinion of the Commission and OSCE/ODIHR on the draft law for amending the Electoral Code and other legislative acts says that it is possible to enact amendments before the presidential elections this fall.
Contacted by IPN, Sergiu Litvinenco explained he expects the amendments to outlaw organized transportation of voters to polling stations. “We made ourselves clear: those interested in the political process in the country and who see their future as part of an undivided state should vote. We should guarantee the right to vote to each person. Organized transportation and cash for votes should be banned, as these practices undermine free and fair elections”, he added.
“It is still unclear why it is allowed for campaigns to use the buildings of state institutions in their ads. We believe this should be illegal. Neither should churches be used in politicians’ campaign videos. Especially taking into account the 2016 Constitutional Court finding that the church has illegally interfered in the elections”, said the MP.
Litvinenco also thinks that voting should take place during two days. “It is intolerable, during the pandemic crisis, to reduce the time of voting. On the contrary, since we need to ensure physical distancing it is imperious that we extend the voting time”, he explained. At least, he adds, polling stations should be allowed to extend the polling time if, at the end of the day, they see there are still queues because of the COVID-19 rules.
The law to amend the Electoral Code had been initiated by the Socialists’ Party and was adopted in first reading on 9 July. Opposition MPs have criticized the bill saying it was not widely consulted, including with the civil society, and that it was designed to favor the PSRM candidate in the presidential elections. Among others, the draft amendments reduced the voting time from 14 to 12 hours (the proposal was dropped before the first vote) and allowed campaign ads featuring government buildings.
Earlier the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections warned that the bill contains controversial and even dangerous provisions, which could compromise the elections. The most problematic among them are those regulating the coverage of campaigns by the media, the activity of observers and ensuring the right to vote during the pandemic.