§ Electoral Code art. 39Specificities of the establishment and functioning of polling stations abroad

Specificities of the establishment and functioning of polling stations abroad
and the electoral bureaux of polling stations abroad
(1) All polling stations established abroad shall operate in accordance with the
particularities laid down in this Code and shall be organised at least 35 days before the date
of the election.
(2) In the case of parliamentary, presidential and republican referendum election, one
or more polling stations may be organised in addition to the diplomatic missions and consular
posts of the Republic of Moldova for voters who are abroad at the time of the election.
(3) In addition to the polling stations referred to in paragraph (2), with the agreement
of the competent authorities of the countries concerned, polling stations may be organised in
one or more localities where, according to the data of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
European Integration, at least 500 voters who are citizens of the Republic of Moldova are
temporarily present or permanently residing abroad.
(4) The establishment of the polling stations referred to in paragraphs (2) and (3) shall
be established by the Central Electoral Commission, with the prior opinion of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and European Integration, which shall refer to the fulfilment of the condition
aimed at obtaining the consent of the competent authorities of the country concerned, as well
as to the possibility of ensuring the voting process from a technical and logistical point of view.
(5) The basic grounds for the establishment of polling stations is the dynamics of voter
participation in polling stations abroad at the last 3 ballots, taking into account the preregistration data of Moldovan citizens abroad and the information provided by the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and European Integration on the number and location of Moldovan citizens
abroad (collected on the basis of consular records or other relevant data). The Central
Electoral Commission shall approve the rules on the establishment of polling stations abroad
and the rules on prior registration.
(6) The electoral bureaux of polling stations abroad shall consist of an odd number of
members of minimum 5 and maximum 13 persons. The legal persons shall propose members
of the electoral bureau of the polling station abroad as follows:
a) two members are proposed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European
Integration, who perform ex officio the functions of chairperson and secretary of the electoral
bureau concerned;
b) the parties represented in Parliament shall each propose one member.
(7) If the political parties fail to submit their nominations in the composition of the
electoral bureau no later than 5 days before the expiry of the deadline for its establishment,
and if, after the appointment of nominations by all legal entities, their number is insufficient or
the composition of the electoral bureau is an even number, the nominations shall be submitted
by the electoral constituency council on a proposal from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
European Integration, and if it fails to submit the nominations, the remaining seats shall be
filled in by the Central Electoral Commission from among the persons included in the Register
of Electoral Officials.
(8) The specific features of the organisation and functioning of the electoral bureaux of
polling stations abroad shall be regulated by the Central Electoral Commission, in coordination
with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration.