Joint Opinion on the Election Code of Moldova as of 10 April 2008

In April 2008, the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova adopted amendments to the Election Code. Following an official request from the Moldova authorities forwarded to the Venice Commission on 28 August, and in line with their usual co-operation, the OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission have undertaken a joint expert review of the Election Code of Moldova (hereinafter “the code”) as amended. The present opinion should be read in conjunction with the Joint Opinion of the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR, adopted by the Venice Commission at its 73rd Plenary Session in December 2007. It focuses on the extent to which the amendments have addressed previous recommendations, and assesses the amendments against OSCE commitments and international standards for democratic elections.