OSCE: Moldova should improve its party and election legislation
The Republic of Moldova should revise its electoral legislation and the existing mechanism of political parties' activities in the conditions of early parliamentary elections, presumes the Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, Ambassador Philip Remler.
On Tuesday, the diplomat took part in a news conference arranged by the IDIS-Viitorul Institute for Development and Social Initiatives, and said that Moldova should cancel a number of imperfect provisions on financing the parties, on gender representation, and on the internal democracy in political formations.
Bjorn Kavalkov-Halvarsson, Political Adviser to the Chisinau Bureau of the European Union Special Representative for Moldova, said that Moldova is distinguished from other CIS countries for its continuous chain of peaceful transitions to democratic elections.
He said political parties should struggle for the electorate only in public debates and through their electoral programs, but not at all in courts. In this sense, Moldova will yet have to work a lot.
IDIS Viitorul Director Igor Munteanu said Moldova's legislation is in contravention with many provisions of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in the sphere of registration and disbandment of parties. He presumes it is quite problematic for parties to meet a provision according to which parries must have activists residing in minimum a half of Moldovan raions. Besides this, there are quite few women in politics.
Munteanu said financing of parties has been growing every year, but there exist no mechanisms of control over their revenues and expenditures. If a party comes to owe to creditor(s), nobody bears responsibility for this. Republic of Moldova citizens abroad are not permitted to help finance parties' election campaigns. He presumes it is unfair to exclude those persons who are interested in the developments taking place at home.
Recommendations on optimization of the legal mechanism pertained to suppressing the electoral barrier down to 3% from the current 5% for parties, and to 2% from 3% for independent candidates. It was recommended also to abolish the voter turnout threshold norm and to let small parties have a wider access to public financing.
Preliminary report on the country has been prepared by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the European Commission and the IDIS-Viitorul Institute for Development and Social Initiatives with financial assistance provided by the European Union.
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