Mark Tcaciuc
The bill was sponsored by opposition lawmakers Mark Tcaciuc, Ion Chicu, Vasile Costiuc, Alexander Stoianoglo, Renato Usatîi, Nicolae Margarint, Diana Caraman, and Adela Raileanu.
As emphasized in the explanatory note to the draft, it was developed “on the basis of Article 73 of the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova and is aimed at bringing Electoral Code No. 325/2022 into line with the principles of the European electoral tradition, as enshrined in the documents of the Venice Commission and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions.”
The explanatory note emphasizes that the draft was developed taking into account the recommendations of relevant international bodies and was prompted by the need to “correct the anti-democratic imbalances that occurred during the adoption of the Code.”
CEC Reform and Equal Rights for Citizens
In presenting the draft, Mark Tkachuk noted that Moldova’s current electoral legislation contains gaps that create risks of restricting citizens’ electoral rights, undermine confidence in the electoral process, and allow for the arbitrary application of certain provisions.
In addition, he emphasized that the current procedure for forming the Central Election Commission does not provide sufficient guarantees of political balance and the CEC’s independence.
One of the bill’s authors, MP Vasile Kostyuk, noted that while there are legal restrictions on economic monopolies, the political monopoly that has taken root in Moldova is no less destructive. “This is not democracy,” he declared.
Another author of the document, MP Ion Kiku, emphasized that the politicization of electoral institutions and the electoral process erodes trust in the elections themselves and in state authorities. “Under these conditions, no reform will gain public support due to the low level of trust in the government,” he believes. He called on the ruling majority to recognize the importance and necessity of the proposed changes for the country’s future.
The authorities ignored the discussions
However, the appeals by Kiku and other participants in the discussion to the ruling majority were merely formal—there were no representatives of the majority present in the chamber.
MP Vlad Betrincha drew attention to this. “I cannot understand the fear of the ruling majority, who ignore such discussions and are afraid to express their opinion on such an important issue. The lack of normal communication is a very clear signal about the state of Moldovan society,” he remarked.
However, moderator Jan Lisnevsky expressed hope that Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu and his party colleagues were, after all, watching the debate online.
