Congress adopted a Recommendation on local elections in Republic of Moldova
The local general elections in Moldova on 14 June, 2015 have been observed by a delegation of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.
On 21 October 2015 the Congress has considered a recommendation issued as a result of these observations. Ms. Line Skoii Vennesland Fraser, Congress rapporteur from Norway, said “You may be aware that these elections took place in a very difficult political and socio-economic environment. Although the Congress observers recognized the efforts made by the Moldovan authorities to further improve the legal framework for elections”. Invited to address the Chamber Session, Jerry Lundy, (Ireland, ALDE) presented the concluding report on behalf of the members of the delegation of the Committee of the Regions who participated in the observation mission. He underlined the constructive and active participation of the civil society of the Republic of Moldova in the elections monitoring process as well as the enhanced familiarity of the electoral commissions of the country with the procedures, even though a greater clarity and transparency would be appreciated.
In the meantime, the problems are far from being solved. The quality of voters' lists remains a matter of concern. There is a great number of Moldavian voters, who are registered on the lists, but are living de facto abroad, and can still vote if in the country on E-day.
Line Skoii Vennesland Fraser has also mentioned the over-restrictive requirements for registration of independent candidates which does not encourage democracy. Ms. Fraser also added that the women’s participation in the electoral process is also a key issue. The congress encourages national authorities to introduce legal provisions to ensure equal participation of women in all levels of electoral administration and as candidates for elections.
The rapporteurs have also pointed to the situation of decentralization and local government reform, where the authorities need to make more efforts for the full implementation of the National Decentralization Strategy. A modern, decentralized and effective administration is the premise for a good democracy, closer to citizens.
Présentation par Line Skoii Vennesland-Fraser (en anglais)
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