On the occasion of the Monitoring Committee meeting held in Metz, France, on 11 February 2020, the Congress Monitoring Committee approved a draft report on Local elections in the Republic of Moldova (20 October 2019). In the report the local government system, electoral system of Moldova is represented. 

Though the Congress welcomes the fact that the polling day was, except some incidents, calm and orderly and the elections were, by and large, effectively administered, following a generally free though rather low key campaign prior to the second round, there are also some concerns such as:

In the light of the above, the Congress invites the authorities to overhaul the legal framework, notably to eliminate  inconsistencies  and  mend  loopholes,  and  further  optimise  the  practical  side  of  electoral management, in particular to:

a. revise the overly restrictive provisions related to the registration of independent candidates in order to  provide  a  level  playing  field  to  all  contestants  running  in  local  elections, notably  put  the  required threshold of collected signatures, as well as other pertinent provisions, in line with Venice Commission’s Code of Good Practice in Electoral Matters;

b. undertake measures to strengthen the participation of women in politics as voters and candidates, notably, through implementation of the legal quota rules on a minimum of 40% for both sexes on the candidate lists and introduction of prioritisation rules for women candidates etc.

c. consider introduction of measures aiming at better participation of candidates for Mayor of the capital city in the pre-election media debates

The draft resolution will be submitted for adoption at the 38th Session of the Congress in Strasbourg, France (17-19 March 2020).