On 23 May 2017, Promo-Lex Association, an EPDE member, hosted the international conference “Options and considerations for reforming the electoral system of the Republic of Moldova. Comparisons from international experience” in Chisinau.

The conference took place in the light of a current legislative initiative in the Moldovan parliament that aims at changing the election of the Moldovan MPs from a proportional to a mixed parallel electoral system.

While the supporters of the proposed new electoral system highlight its advantages, critics object that its design may have a profound impact on the political life and the democratic consolidation of the country.

At the conference, a number of international experts, including EPDE experts, from Western and Eastern European countries provided input for this debate. Representing countries such as the United Kingdom, Lithuania, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Norway and Romania, they offered insights into the electoral laws and practices in their countries.

From the UK’s traditional “Westminster” or “First Past the Post” system to mixed systems in Eastern European countries such as Ukraine or Georgia, both advantages and disadvantages of all systems were broadly discussed, as well as their possible implementation in Moldova.

In addition, the Norwegian expert Mette Bakken and her Romanian colleague Adrian Sorescu presented the study ‘Electoral System Design in Moldova’. Ms Bakken and Mr Sorescu argue that in Moldova, it is not clear what would be the result from passing from an electoral system to another one. Therefore, they have developed a number of recommendations for reforming the current system.

Downloads:

Presentations of the international experts

Study “Electoral System Design in Moldova”

Links:

Promo-Lex website