Moldovan Central Electoral Commission announces main updates for next autumn elections: only 39 parties can participate in polls, extended postal voting, longer election campaign

Only 39 out of the 66 parties registered in Moldova can participate in the   parliamentary elections due in next autumn, the president of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), Angelica Caraman, has said. In an exclusive interview with the MOLDPRES News Agency, Caraman presented the most important updates regarding the registration of electoral contenders and the organization of the election on September 28.

“The first update concerns the registration of competitors. Political parties were required to submit to the Public Services Agency (ASP) the numerical and nominal list of the leadership bodies, as well as the declarations of personal assets and interests. Parties that have not complied cannot participate in the elections,” Angelica Caraman explained.

Only 39 have out of the 66 officially formations registered met the legal conditions. Twenty five of them have complete files, while another 14 are registered “conditionally,” waiting for confirmation from the ASP. The official list of eligible parties was published by the CEC at the beginning of the electoral period.

Another significant element is the change of the electoral calendar.

“Competitors’ registration is now made 40 days before the elections, not 30 as was previously. This is a recommendation from international observers, so that each candidate can benefit from a full election campaign,” said the CEC head.

This year, the postal voting mechanism has also been expanded. While earlier, it has been enforced in a few countries, in 2024 the list was supplemented with Australia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand. At the same time, the envelopes with votes can be received a day later compared to the previous election — until Friday before the elections.

“This is an important step, considering that at the previous election, about 20 per cent of the envelopes arrived late,” noted Caraman.

As for voters, another novelty is that, this year, the voting will also be possible with the new identity card issued by the ASP. “Citizens can vote with either the identity document or the card — both valid — and the passport can even be expired,” the CEC president explained.

The full interview with Angelica Caraman, where other organizational aspects of the parliamentary election are also addressed, will be published on July 25, on the MOLDPRES News Agency’s website: www.moldpres.md