The representation threshold, underlined in the previous opinion on the election law of the Republic of Moldova of the Venice Commission[3], remains a major concern of the Council for Democratic Elections regarding the preparation of the next parliamentary elections. There is a representation threshold of 6% for parties, 9% for blocks (pre-election coalitions) consisting of two parties, and 12% for blocks of three of more parties (Article 86 (1) of the Law). This leads to the non-representation in Parliament of a large part of the electorate. Furthermore, small national minorities are de facto excluded from any chance of representation in Parliament; it is therefore recommended that the threshold be lowered, particularly in reference to ethnic minorities.
