In the case of the Republic of Moldova, it would be better to avoid any reform of the electoral system that envisions the switchover to a majority system that works well in countries with old democracies that have used it for many decades and the political parties and voters there adjusted to it. Such conclusions are contained in a study carried out by foreign experts Mette Bakken and Adrian Sorescu. The study was commissioned by “Promo-LEX” Association. According to the authors, the fact that no other country switched over from the party-list proportional representation system to a majority system should serve as a warning against such a change, IPN reports.
The authors of the study, which was presented in an international conference on May 23, said now Moldova should resist the temptation to switch over to a mixed-member system, especially to a parallel mixed system. Such systems tend to produce disproportionate results. If Moldova continues the discussions on the possibility of switching over to a mixed-member system, it should choose the proportional mixed system (with compensation), not the parallel one as the first ensures prevalence of equitable representation.
The experts consider the best solution is to improve the current electoral system – the party-list proportional representation system – by holding elections in 10–12 electoral districts instead of a national district as now. The closed (blocked) party lists should be replaced with open lists so as to offer the voters the possibility of influencing or even deciding who should be chosen, at the level of each candidate. A considerable number of countries in Europe apply electoral systems with more plurinominal districts and open lists. When working out the model of ballot, Moldova can use the experience of these countries, but should think up a ballot that makes sense for the voters.
The study authors said the election threshold for individual political parties should be reduced to 3–4%. Judging by the situation in Moldova, an incremental threshold can be used for electoral blocs, while the legal threshold for independent candidates should be removed.
