General local elections // Citizens will be able to vote with their passport for the first time
In the general local elections on November 5, citizens will be able to vote, for the first time, with their passports, the secretary of the Electoral Commission, Alexandru Berlinschi, said on Radio Moldova's "Spațiul Public" show.
Also, he referred to the amendment of the Electoral Code which stipulates that the term of registration of the domicile or temporary residence cannot be less than three months, until the date of the first round of voting.
"On August 5, the possibility of making any changes regarding the domicile or residence expired, but at the same time, I remind you that during these local elections, the list of documents on the basis of which voters can vote has been extended. That is, until now, when we were talking about polling stations open on the territory of the country, a voter could vote based on the identity card and the provisional identity card. Now the voter can also vote with his passport, even if we are talking about general local elections. But a second rule is also applied here. As a voter, I must find myself in the basic electoral list", declared Alexandru Berlinschi. Moreover, the head of the analysis team of the Promo-LEX mission, Igor Bucătaru, stated that voters who will establish their domicile or residence in another constituency later than August 5, will not be able to vote in the general local elections. In the same way, these people will not be able to vote even in the locality where they previously had their domicile.
According to him, the change in the Electoral Code was necessary to prevent electoral migration.
"Coincidence or not, but on the eve of the elections, for example in certain localities, the number of voters was "inflated", people appeared and changed their residence. In this sense, that artificial migration, that electoral tourism was a recognized and demonstrated phenomenon. The specificity of local elections is that I will vote where I have domicile or residence. In general local elections, citizens abroad will not be able to vote. Here is another way, probably through financial contributions, through donations. Those from abroad can eventually donate to the contestants in the electoral campaign", declared Igor Bucătaru. We remind you that the amendments to the Electoral Code entered into force on January 1 of this year, with the exception of the provisions relating to regional elections, which will enter into force on January 1, 2024.
