In 2013, a further reform of the electoral legislation was hastily added to the agenda of the parliament in the midst of a political crisis, which resulted in the collapse of the government. The purpose of the draft amendments introduced in April 2013 was to alter the electoral system from a single nationwide constituency through proportional representation from party lists to a mixed member proportional system. Of the Moldovan Parliament’s 101 MPs, 51 MPs were to be elected through a proportional system from party lists and 50 MPs through single-mandate constituencies. No discussions or consultations with the opposition party, the parties within the coalition and the rest of the electoral stakeholders, including any specialised body or institution from civil society, took place at that stage. The bill was adopted on 19 April 2013, in its second reading with 63 votes. Different stakeholders as well as the international community voiced their concerns about these changes. Subsequently, an ad hoc parliamentary committee determined that the law would violate constitutional provisions guaranteeing voting rights and that its adoption did not comply with parliamentary rules of procedure. These amendments to the electoral system were repealed shortly thereafter on 3 May 2013 and the Election Code reverted back to the proportional electoral system. However, in addition to repealing the amendments, the parliament raised the thresholds for representation (see below).
