Republic of Moldova - April 2024

Moldovan citizens living abroad in Canada, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the United States will now be able to vote by mail, per legislation passed by the country’s parliament on 26 April. The criteria for the availability of postal voting include having established diplomatic relations with Moldova, a lack of or significant distance from available polling stations, national experience in implementing postal voting, the reliability of postal services, and more. 212,434 of 2.6 million Moldovans of voting age participated in the 2021 elections from abroad by voting in person at Moldovan embassies or consulates. Presidential elections are due to be held on 20 October 2024.

Sources: Ziarul de Gardă, Moldpres, Parliament of Moldova, International IDEA

Moldovan prosecutors filed corruption charges against Evgenia Gusul, the Bashkan (governor) of the autonomous region of Gaugazia in a Chisinau court on 24 April. Gutsul is alleged to have overseen the financing of the Shor Party by Russia-based organized criminal groups as the party’s secretary between 2019 and 2022 and faces between two and seven years in prison. The Shor Party was banned by the Constitutional Court in June 2023 and its members barred from seeking public office in July 2023 by an act of parliament (both bans have since been reversed on judicial appeal). Gutsul says the charges are politically motivated on the orders of President Maia Sandu. Since being elected Bashkan in July 2023, Gutsul has made an official state visit to Russia and sought to integrate the region of Gaugazia into Russian economic and political structures without the knowledge of the Moldovan central government.

Sources: Newsmaker (1), Newsmaker (2), Newsmaker (3)