Local elections foresee an additional tier of election administration in towns and villages as first-level DECs. Electoral councils at the level of districts, the municipalities of Chişinău and Balti and the autonomous territorial unit of Gagauzia are operating as second-level DECs. Article 174 introduces one notable change to their competencies by delegating the power to certify election results, previously held by local courts. Recognising that the composition of these councils is determined by political actors (first-level DECs could be entirely comprised of political representatives), their impartiality and objectivity could be called into question. Moreover, DECs might lack sufficient expertise to decide on the legality of results. While establishing local election results should be kept with the lower-level councils, the task of ascertaining the validity of results could be retained with the local courts.