Moldovan parliament might establish voting hour at plenary meetings

The parliament might establish a voting hour during plenary meetings. This proposal is set to be discussed at the public consultations on the development of the draft Code focusing on the organization and work of the legislative institution. Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu today made statements to this effect.

According to the official, the draft aims to improve the organizational and legislative process.

"At the public consultations, we will discuss all proposals, such as the voting hour. Why not have a voting hour like in the USA, Romania, the Netherlands, Sweden, which would allow for good organization. This would mean that there's a part of the meeting when debates, questions and answers take place, followed by the voting process. This is a general practice," said Igor Grosu.

The speaker noted that public discussions on this topic would be organized in the next session.

"We have two commitments to fulfill by the end of the current year. It is about the establishment of the Commission for European Integration and the approval of the new Parliamentary Code. So far, the commission has been established, and the only outstanding matter is the approval of this Code, which is very large and needs public consultation, in order to discuss all issues," emphasized Igor Grosu.

The Moldovan parliament has recently initiated the development of the Code regarding the organization and work of the legislative institution. The adoption of the document takes place in the context of meeting the recommendations of the European Commission, set out in the Enlargement Reports for 2024 and 2025, as well as aligning with the EU acquis.

At present, the legislative process is regulated by the parliament’s regulation. The document was adopted in 1996 and needs to be adapted to new realities, in order to outline more explicitly the basic duties of the Legislature. The new Code will replace the parliament’s regulation, which contain outdated provisions. The Code will regulate more explicitly the institutional functional balance, in order to ensure the parliament's proper work and the balanced distribution of tasks among the legislative institution's working bodies, namely between the standing bureau, permanent commissions and the legislative forum convening at plenary meetings.

The draft Code is in progress, considering the need for further study of best practices from the European Parliament's Rules of Procedure, normative acts for organizing and work in other EU member states' parliaments, aligning the content with Constitutional Court Decisions, and examining received opinions, especially the ones from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.

The initiative is to be subjected to public consultations starting February 2026, inviting all interested parties – civil society, international organizations, development partners, parliamentary and extra-parliamentary political forces.