Electoral Code amendments for Gagauzia receive CEC approval
The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) has expressed a favourable opinion on the amendments to the Electoral Code concerning the elections in Gagauzia. This opinion was approved on Tuesday, July 28, with five votes in favor and three against. One CEC member who voted against the amendments cited conflicting norms in the legislation as their reason for opposing the changes.
The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) welcomes the legislative initiative, as a significant portion of the institution's previously made proposals has been incorporated into the draft law, stated rapporteur Rita Lefter-Simașco during the CEC meeting.
Additionally, the CEC provided a series of technical and legal observations, suggesting additions and adjustments to various articles of the Electoral Code. These amendments pertain to the organization of regional elections, the responsibilities of the Central Electoral Commission, the determination of the number of deputies in the People's Assembly of Gagauzia, and the rules for candidate nominations.
CEC member: "Conflicting norms"
CEC member Vadim Filipov voted against the opinion, citing contradictions within the legislative proposal.
“I will vote against this opinion for at least two reasons. Some of the provisions proposed by the project's authors were taken from proposals previously made by the Central Electoral Commission, which I did not endorse. Furthermore, the amendments regarding the organization of elections for the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia establish a proportional representation system, while the Law on the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia still mandates a single-member system. These are two conflicting norms,” Filipov declared.
He emphasized that before implementing the new electoral system for Gagauzia into the Electoral Code, the project's authors should have amended or repealed the relevant provisions of the Law on the Special Status of Gagauzia to avoid any contradictions.
What the draft law provides
The draft law was registered in Parliament by a group of PAS deputies to transpose the Constitutional Court's decision of July 9, which declared unconstitutional the provisions that allowed the People's Assembly of Gagauzia to establish the mechanisms for organizing elections. The Court ruled that only the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova is competent to regulate electoral legislation.
Among the proposed changes is the establishment of the Central Electoral Council of Gagauzia, under the leadership of the CEC in Chisinau and comprising at least 7 and at most 11 members.
The CEC will appoint the president of the Central Electoral Council of Gagauzia.
The draft also provides for the transition to a proportional electoral system, but this would be applied only to the election in four years. For November 15, 2026, the majority system will be used for the last time.
The amendments to the Electoral Code, which aim to standardize the organization of elections throughout the territory of the Republic of Moldova, are to be examined in the first reading by the end of the current parliamentary session, and by the end of August - to be adopted in the final reading, in an extraordinary session of the Parliament.
