Moldova expands mail-in voting for diaspora
The list of countries where mail-in voting will be implemented for parliamentary elections and is set to be expanded.
The newly proposed states include Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, and Japan. On May 21, the government approved the advisory opinion on the draft law to amend the Law on the Partial Implementation of Mail-in Voting, submitted by a group of deputies.
Other significant proposed changes include extending the voting period and enabling voter identification using biometric means. The government supports the initiative, subject to observations and recommendations necessary for improving the draft law.
Prime Minister Dorin Recean stated that mail-in voting is a tool to facilitate diaspora participation in elections.
"The diaspora is very important for the citizens and the development of the Republic of Moldova. The diaspora sends a lot of money home in the form of remittances, and it is our obligation to facilitate their ability to vote, especially through this new instrument of mail-in voting," said Dorin Recean.
"The need for these amendments arises because the electoral authority identified a series of deficiencies in the implementation of mail-in voting during the 2024 elections that need to be addressed," said Minister of Justice Veronica Mihailov-Moraru.
Mail-in voting was partially implemented for the first time in the presidential elections and the constitutional republican referendum held on October 20. The countries where it was tested include the United States of America, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, and Finland.
Recently, during a Moldova 1 TV show, Lilian Carp, President of the Parliamentary Commission for National Security, Defense, and Public Order, stated that the number of these states would gradually increase. According to him, "as capacities grow, so too will the number of countries."
Parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova are set to take place on September 28. The decision was adopted with the votes of 57 deputies at the plenary session on April 17.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
