

Moldovan deputies taking a vote in the national parliament on June 9, 2019. Photo: EPA/Doru Dumitru

Moldovan deputies voted on Wednesday to scrap their much criticised “mixed” voting system, made it easier for Moldovans living abroad to vote, and restored the former proportional voting system.

The changes were backed by 57 of the 101 deputies from both the pro-European ACUM bloc and the pro-Russians Socialist Party – the two blocs that now lead the government in Chisinau following the fall of the former Democratic party-led regime.

The last parliamentary elections held on February 24 were organised under the mixed voting system under which party lists and constituencies each elected half the 101 deputies. The change was widely seen as favouring the well financed former ruling party.

Under the proportional voting system, each party participates in the election with a list of individual candidates.

The mixed voting system adopted in July 2017 drew tough criticism from Moldova’s Western partners, including the European Commission and the Venice Commission, which both recommended that the new system not be implemented.

The mixed system was adopted on the bidding of the Democratic Party, with the support of the Socialists.

Besides restoring the proportional voting system, the deputies voted to reduce the maximum amount of donations that political parties can receive in an election campaign.

Another important amendment adopted on Wednesday allows Moldovan citizens from abroad to finance parties and extends the voting procedures in the diaspora to two days, to allow more people to get to polling stations and cast ballots.

The new modifications also cut the electoral threshold for parties from 6 per cent to 5, and the bar for electoral blocs from 8 per cent to 7. Independent candidates now have to win at least 2 per cent of the votes to enter parliament.

Deputies also voted to ban election campaigning on the last day before polling day, and voting by members of the diaspora whose passports have expired.

The diaspora vote is an important topic in Moldova, owing to the very rate of emigration from the impoverished country.

About 1 million of a total of 3.5 million Moldovans live and work abroad, split almost evenly between Western Europe, North America and Russia.

But their voting rights have been routinely ignored by the Moldovan political class, and the poor organisation of polling stations abroad has angered many Moldovans outside the country.

According to the World Bank, Moldovans living abroad in 2018 sent home about 1.83 billion US dollars in remittances. That year, Moldova ranked ninth in a world ranking of remittances as a proportion of GDP – with a value of 16.1 per cent of GDP.