Around 30 Moldovan judges, prosecutors and specialised electoral officials from the Central Electoral Commission strengthened their capacity to resolve electoral disputes, fairly, consistently and promptly, thereby protecting voters’ rights. The training, held in Chișinău, focused on practical challenges and lessons learned from the 2024 and 2025 elections.
Participants examined recent amendments to the Electoral Code adopted in August 2026, the right of political parties to stand for election, candidates’ registration and exclusion, and the Central Electoral Commission’s authority to oversee and control lower-level electoral management bodies.
The training’s central focus was how courts settle electoral disputes in practice. Participants discussed preliminary procedures, the proportionality of measures taken by electoral management bodies, the limits of judicial oversight, and the division of responsibilities among the Central Electoral Commission, electoral councils and courts. They also considered the admissibility and assessment of evidence, the burden of proof and case studies.
Participants were also introduced to a new module of an e-learning course for judges on electoral disputes resolution developed with Council of Europe’s support. The module draws on national legislation and case law following Moldova’s national elections in 2024 and 2025. It will be hosted on the ILIAS platform of the National Institute of Justice.
Both the training and the e-learning course aim to promote a consistent approach to resolving electoral disputes among Moldovan magistrates and specialised electoral officials, in line with international and European standards, the case law of the European Court of Human Rights and relevant national practice.
The activity continues efforts that began in 2020. It was organised in partnership with the National Institute of Justice and the Central Electoral Commission under the Council of Europe project “Improving electoral practice in the Republic of Moldova (IEPRM) 2025–2028” as part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova 2025-2028 and in support of the objectives of the New Democratic Pact for Europe.
