Moldovan parliament votes for draft on mixed electoral system in first reading

Chisinau, 5 May /MOLDPRES/ - The parliament today voted, in the first reading, for a draft by the Party of Socialists (PSRM) on the implementation of the mixed electoral system in Moldova.   

The draft was introduced on the agenda simultaneously with the Democrats’ one on the uninominal voting and was backed by 74 MPs.

The document was presented by a PSRM lawmaker Vasile Bolea. “In the conditions of Moldova, the most reasonable electoral system is the mixed one, which will preserve the activity of parties and will lead to a fair representation of the citizens in parliament. The mixed system is not a novelty and is applied in more states, such as Germany, Japan, Russia and Ukraine,” Bolea noted.  

Under the draft, 51 MPs will be elected based on lists compiled by parties and 50 will get mandates following voting in uninominal districts. Also, the document sees the opening of electoral districts on the left bank of Dniester.   

Just before putting up to vote the draft on the mixed electoral system, the PSRM MPs severely criticized the Democratic Party’s draft on the uninominal voting and demanded its exclusion from the parliament’s agenda; otherwise, the Socialists will stage protests.  

Parliament Speaker Andrian Candu criticized the attitude of the PSRM lawmakers, stressing that conditionings have no room in parliament. Candu informed that, given that there are two draft laws on the amendment of the electoral system, the juridical commissions should come up with a solution.    

During the consideration of the two drafts on the change of the voting system, more citizens and representatives of opposition parties came outside the parliament to protest.

(Reporter A. Zara, editor A. Raileanu)