Home > 1.2.3 Equality and national minorities > MOLDOVA - Joint Opinion on the Draft Laws on Amending and Completing Certain Legislative Acts (Electoral System for the Election of the Parliament)
 
 
 
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Paragraph 53
 

This recommendation remains applicable. The draft envisages the establishment of single-member constituencies for Transnistria; however, it does not provide sufficient criteria and detail on the process. Article 74(2) appears to provide that the size of these constituencies should be calculated on the basis of the number of registered voters for the last parliamentary elections in Transnistria as well as in the rest of the territory. Since participation in elections is historically lower in Transnistria than in the rest of the territory, this may not be the best criterion. The draft stipulates that the exact criteria for establishing constituencies are to be established by a CEC regulation. It further provides in Articles 292 and 87(5) that polling stations for voters residing in Transnistria will be established on the territory of the Republic of Moldova under the constitutional jurisdiction of central authorities. Based on Article 75(3), an electoral council for Transnistrian constituencies shall be established in Chişinău. It is recommended that the Electoral Code include more specific and detailed provisions on the voting arrangements for residents of Transnistria, concerning inter alia the establishment of polling stations, collection of support signatures, and the conduct of the campaign. The decision on the number of constituencies allocated to Transnistria has political elements and could be directly regulated by the law.