“Voting Abroad in Elections in the Republic of Moldova: Pros and Cons.”

The Association for Participatory Democracy ADEPT, under the aegis of the Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (CALC), has published today a new analytical study entitled “Voting Abroad in Elections in the Republic of Moldova: Pros and Cons.”

The document comes in the context of a legislative initiative proposed by a group of MPs from the Bloc of Communists and Socialists (BCS), which seeks to restrict the voting rights of Moldovan citizens living abroad. ADEPT’s study demonstrates, through rigorous legal reasoning, that the draft law contradicts both the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova and international electoral standards.

Key conclusions of the study:

• The draft law imposes discriminatory conditions, such as mandatory consular registration and verification of the legal status of diaspora voters.

• It promotes vote distortion measures, such as introducing a weighting coefficient for votes cast abroad, which violates the principle of equal suffrage.

• The initiative misuses ECtHR jurisprudence, particularly the case of Sitaropoulos v. Greece, ignoring the spirit and actual conclusions of the judgment.

• The legal framework for voting abroad has continuously evolved over the past three decades, strengthening the right to vote for citizens outside the country and removing administrative obstacles.

The study also includes a review of the evolution of national legislation on diaspora voting, as well as a comparative analysis of international best practices, particularly the recommendations of the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR.

The full study is attached.