The existence of numerous ethnic minorities, e.g. Ukrainians, Russians, Gagauz, Bulgarians and Roma, raises additional questions of principle, which will even increase in importance when the predominantly non-Moldovan ethnic population in the Transnistria region are to be given full practical access to the Moldovan elections. The reduction in the electoral threshold to 5% would allow large minorities, e.g. Russians and Ukrainians, to be represented in Parliament - if a substantial portion of the ethnic group wished to be represented by ethnic parties. The Gagauz minority does not appear to be large enough to clear a 5% threshold, and in particular not with a multitude of parties.