alegeri.md

On March 31, the Parliament adopted the decision on setting the date of general local elections to be held on June 5, 2011. The decision was adopted upon the initiative of the Liberal Party, whose leader conditioned to vote the 2011 State Budget Law in the final reading by setting the date of local elections.

On April 1, the members of Parliament voted in two readings amendments to the Election Code required to conduct general local elections. These amendments refer to several main aspects:

• postponement of the deadline for implementing the electronic register of voters up to 2015;
• canceling the possibility to voting either at domicile or at the residence place if possessing both entries;
• possibility to request changes in the electoral rolls a day before elections;
• removing the requirement to provide free minutes of electoral advertising in local elections by local / regional broadcasters;
• removing the requirement for hierarchical challenging if making appeals against exercising the right to vote or election management in the election day;
• removing the text that the mandate of the local elected representatives become effective “as of the day of validating the local elections’ results” etc.

MPs from the opposition (PCRM) criticized the sudden decision of the parliamentary majority to set the election date and to amend the Election Code, saying that there are amendments made post-factum, after announcing the election date.