Moldova’s parliament on 17 April voted that the country’s next parliamentary elections will be held on 28 September, as proposed by members of the parliamentary majority of the Action and Solidarity (PAS) party. Fifty-seven lawmakers supported the decision, while 32 abstained.
The opposition wanted the elections to be held two months earlier, on 27 July.
The chair of the legal committee, PAS MP Veronika Roška explained that the date of 28 September was chosen “taking into account the compliance with the legal framework”.
According to the Electoral Code, parliamentary elections are held no later than three months after the end of the powers or dissolution of the previous parliament. At the same time, the date of the parliamentary election is set no later than 70 days before the election day.
The chairman of the faction of the Communists and Socialists bloc, Vlad Batrincha, said that the current parliament was elected in July four years ago, and the date of 27 July proposed by his faction is the closest to the legal deadline for parliamentary elections. He said that PAS was extending the incumbent government’s term until autumn in order to use administrative resources and the state budget for electoral actions.
Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker of Parliament and PAS MP Doina Herman said she “doesn’t see what the problem is” with the election date: “it’s not about the date or the month, it’s about their fear of these elections, they understand that citizens can distinguish the grain from the chaff.”
Moldova’s 101-member parliament is directly elected by citizens for four-year terms.