Home > 2.6 Campaign finance > MOLDOVA - Electoral Code
 
 
 
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Article 1
 

General Terms


For the purpose of this Code, the following general terms shall apply:


Campaign Adverts/Posters – appeals, statements, photographs and other materials used by electoral competitors for electoral campaign purposes;


Electoral campaign – the preparatory actions aimed at disseminating information seeking to induce the voters to vote for certain electoral competitors;


Voter – Moldovan citizen eligible to vote;


State Registry of Voters – a single integrated information system aimed at keeping records on Moldovan voters developed on the basis of the State Registry of Population, intended to collect, store, update and analyse the data on Moldovan citizens, including those living abroad who reached the age of 18 years and have no statutory prohibition to elect;


Elections – unless specified otherwise shall mean Parliamentary elections, presidential elections, local elections, as well as referenda. The same term covers the actions of citizens, political parties and other sociopolitical organisations, electoral blocs, electoral bodies and other state authorities aimed at preparing the voters’ lists, nominating and registering the candidates, carrying out the electoral campaigning, voting and finding the election results, as well as other election-related actions carried out as per the legislation in force;


General elections – any type of elections held on one day, on a Sunday or on any other day stated in the act establishing the date of elections, all over the country;


Early elections – the election of the elective body when its mandate ended prior to the scheduled term of service, due to the dissolution of the elective body or in case of administrative-territorial reorganisation;


Electoral bloc – a voluntary union of two or more political parties and/or socio-political organisations, which has been created for joint participation in elections. Electoral blocs shall be registered with the Central Electoral Commission for parliamentary, presidential and local general elections or with the District Electoral Councils for new local elections;


Electoral campaign – the time period set for activities aimed at persuading the voters to cast their votes for one or another electoral competitor, beginning for each electoral competitor on the day it is registered with the Central Electoral Commission or with the District Electoral Council, and ending on the day of its exclusion from elections or on the Election Day;


Candidate – an individual who runs for an elective public office position on behalf of political parties, other socio-political organisations or electoral blocs;


Independent Candidate – an individual who runs for an elective public office position, independently of political parties, of other socio-political organisations and of electoral blocs;


Centre for Continuous Electoral Training – a specialised unit, established within the Central Electoral Commission with the aim to enhance the qualifications of election officials and ensure continuous professional education thereof, as well as of other actors involved in the election process;


Electoral Constituency – an administrative electoral unit within which elections and referenda are organised and held;


National Constituency – a national level constituency within which Parliamentary elections are organised and held on the basis of proportional representation on political party lists;


Single Member Constituency – the constituency within which elections are organised and held for a single mandate as Member of Parliament by majority vote;


Code of Conduct – an agreement between candidates and Media representatives regarding the electoral campaign unrolling and coverage avoiding any damage to the dignity and reputation of electoral competitors;


Electoral competitors:


- political parties, other socio-political organisations and electoral blocs, which lists of candidates have been registered with the Central Electoral Commission in Parliamentary elections within the national constituency;


- candidates for the Member of Parliament position, nominated by political parties, by other sociopolitical organisations and electoral blocs, or independent candidates registered with the corresponding District Electoral Councils – in Parliamentary elections within Single Member Constituencies;


- candidates for the position of President of the Republic of Moldova registered with the Central Electoral Commission – in case of presidential elections;


- political parties, other socio-political organisations, electoral blocs and individual running for the position of Mayor or Councillor in the Local Council registered with the corresponding District Electoral.


Councils – in case of local elections;


Complaint – a request to cancel or revise a document, a decision or an action;


Central Electoral Commission – an independent state body established to carry out the election policy with the aim to orderly conduct the elections, to monitor and control compliance with legal provisions on financing of the political parties and electoral campaigns;


Nomination of Candidates – a procedure followed by political parties, by other socio-political organisations and by electoral blocs with the aim to adopt decisions regarding the candidates for elective positions during the meetings of management bodies of political parties, other socio-political organisations or electoral blocs in accordance with their charters after the announcement of the date of elections;


Domicile – a person’s permanent place of living, confirmed in his/her Identity Card;


Statement of stay – a procedure by which citizens eligible to vote declare their location on Election Day;


Suffrage – citizens’ constitutional right to elect, to be elected, and to vote on the most important issues of the state and the society as a whole and/or on local issues of specific concern;


Electoral education – an educational, non-political activity carried out by civil society organisations and groups, education institutions, Media and by other interested parties aimed to enhance citizens’ knowledge about political and election processes to enable them casting their votes freely and being aware. The electoral education may be freely conducted by interested actors through organising seminars, trainings, round-tables, information campaigns, public electoral debates and other education activities which are not regulated by the Central Electoral Commission or by other authorities;


Financing of electoral campaigns – direct and/or indirect financing as well as other type of material support offered to electoral competitors by the state, by individual and/or legal persons;


Financing of political parties – direct and/or indirect financing, i.e. offering, allocating or conveying funds, material means or other types of means to political parties by the state, individual and/or legal persons;


Electoral official – an individual who acts or who acted under the present Code as a member of the District Electoral Council or of the Precinct Electoral Bureau;


Initiative group – a group established out of citizens eligible to vote and registered under the conditions of this Code with the Central Electoral Commission aimed to collect signatures supporting a candidate for an elective position or to initiate a referendum;


List of candidates – a list of people nominated by political parties, by other socio-political organisations, by electoral blocs to participate in elections;


Voters’ lists – the lists of all citizens eligible to vote who have the domicile or reside within reach of a Polling Station;


Additional voters’ list – a list prepared by the electoral body containing the names of people not recorded in the main voters’ lists;


Signatures collecting sheet – a list of collected voters’ signatures supporting a candidate in elections or initiating a referendum;


Locality – an administrative-territorial unit organised under the law (district, municipality, town, sector, village (commune) and administrative-territorial unit with special status);


A minimum number of reserved places for electoral posters – specially arranged places reserved for electoral posters displayed in one locality. The boards for electoral posters shall be equally spaced within the locality territory. Each candidate shall be provided with at least one square metre of board space, while the board area shall be equally allocated among all candidates;


National observers – representatives of qualified non-governmental associations of the Republic of Moldova or representatives of candidates accredited by the electoral bodies under the present Code;


International observers – representatives of international organisations, of other state governments and of foreign non-government organisations, as well as international experts in the election-related area accredited by the Central Electoral Commission;


Protocol Office of International Observers – a body established within the Central Electoral Commission during the electoral period to provide appropriate assistance to international observers aimed at facilitating proper professional observation of elections;


Electoral bodies – the bodies that organise Parliamentary elections, presidential elections, local elections and referenda;


Socio-political organisations – political parties, fronts/organisations, leagues, popular political movements registered under the Law regulating political parties and other socio-political organisations; Political parties – voluntary citizens’ associations that are organised and registered according to the Law regulating political parties and other socio-political organisations;


Electoral period – the timeframe beginning on the day when the date of elections is made public and ending on the day when the final election results are confirmed by the authorised bodies, but not exceeding 90 days;


People authorised to observe the election procedures – representatives and observers of electoral competitors in electoral bodies, observers accredited by the District Electoral Councils or by the Central Electoral Commission, as well as Media representatives;


Reports on electoral campaign financing – reports of electoral competitors regarding the cash flows, including the accumulated funds, sources of their origin and expenditures incurred during the electoral campaign;


Referendum – the procedure by which people express their option regarding the major issues of the state and of the society as a whole, aimed at their resolution, as well as citizens’ consultation on local issues of specific concern;


Registry of Election Officials – a system of record keeping at the national level (a database containing personal information) of election officials, designed by the Central Electoral Commission, which includes the officials’ full name, year of birth, profession, position, job, contact phone number, domicile, the person/body that designated them, and, when participating in elections, the date of elections and their position within the electoral bodies;


Residence – a person’s temporary place of residence confirmed in his/her ID;


Revocation – withdrawal by a Court of a person’s mandate, holding an elective public position and withdrawal of Mayor’s mandate through a local referendum.