A delegation of nine representatives from the Central Electoral Administration of the Republic of Moldova undertook a study visit to Lisbon, Portugal, to learn about this country’s experience in organising postal voting. The delegation included the President, members and officials of the Central Electoral Commission, representatives of the Center for Continuous Electoral Training, as well as staff and consultants from the Council of Europe.
The purpose of the visit was to gain in depth knowledge of the procedures and best practices related to postal voting. This initiative is essential for preparing the electoral administration to adopt best procedures and practices in organising elections for citizens residing abroad in the context of the elections of Presidential election and EU related constitutional referendum to be held on October 20 this year. For the first time in Moldovan electoral history, Moldovan citizens residing in the United States of America, Canada, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Finland and the Kingdom of Sweden will be able to vote by postal ballot.
Portugal is a good model for countries implementing postal voting as an alternative voting method. With a large diaspora, postal voting facilitate participation in the elections. In the recent Portuguese parliamentary elections in March 2024, over 1.5 million voters were registered from 189 countries worldwide.
During the meetings with representatives of the Ministry of Interior Administration and, the National Electoral Commission, the delegation discussed issues related to the management of the postal voting process, from the voter registration to the tabulation of results, including the security and integrity of postal voting, logistics and administrative processes as well as ways to information and voters’ education.
The delegation had the opportunity to meet with representatives of the Portugal’s Constitutional Court and discuss their approach on handling electoral complaints, ensuring transparency and integrity of the electoral process, as well as the role of the High Court in protecting the citizens’ electoral rights. Given the main objective of the visit, the discussions focused on the procedures in place for challenging the results of elections conducted by this alternative voting method, the cases for raising the exception of unconstitutionality for postal voting and other election-related issues falling within the Court's jurisdiction.
During discussions with the representatives of the Commission for Accounts and Political Financing of the Constitutional Court of Portugal, the delegation inquired about issues related to political campaigning abroad, legal mechanisms to prevent illegal political financing, cases of limitation of the activity of political parties and other election-related issues falling within the competence of this entity.
The event was organised within the framework of the Council of Europe Project Improving Electoral Practice in the Republic of Moldova, Phase III, in cooperation with the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Moldova.
