Political Party Structures and Decision-Making Processes in Moldova

1. PARTY STRUCTURE(La on political parties no. 294 adopted on 21.12.2007) • Central bodies • Regional organisations

2. Governing bodies • General Assembly of members or delegates • Executive body General Assembly at the central level is the party's supreme decision-making body (article.15, Law no. 294/2007)

3. Official leader of the party Decision makers in political parties (system average), in the expert coumminity’s view Central Executive Body Informal Group within the party Congress of the Party Unofficial leader of the party Parliamentary faction Local orgranisations Other

4. Decision makers in political parties (system average), in the party officials’ view Informal Groups within the party Parliamentary faction Local orgranisations Unofficial leader of the party Congress of the Party Central Executive Body Official leader of the party

5. Decision makers in Communist Party, experts’ view Official leader of the party Informal Group within the party Central Executive Body Unofficial leader of the party Congress of the Party Parliamentary faction

6. Decision makers in Liberal Democratic Party, experts’ view Official leader of the party Central Executive Body Informal Group within the party Congress of the Party Local orgranisations Parliamentary faction Other

7. Decision makers in Liberal Party, experts’ view Official leader of the party Unofficial leader of the party Central Executive Body Informal Group within the party Congress of the Party Parliamentary faction Other

8. Decision makers in Democratic Party, experts’ view Official leader of the party Unofficial leader of the party Central Executive Body Informal Group within the party Congress of the Party Parliamentary faction Local orgranisations Other

9. Decision makers in Our Moldova Alliance party, experts’ view Official leader of the party Informal Group within the party Central Executive Body Congress of the Party Parliamentary faction Local orgranisations Other

10. Decision makers in Christian Democratic People’s Party, experts’ view Official leader of the party Informal Group within the party Congress of the Party Central Executive Body Parliamentary faction Local orgranisations

11. Decision makers in Social Democratic Party, experts’ view Official leader of the party Central Executive Body Informal Group within the party Congress of the Party Other

12. Methods to inform the public, used by Democratic Party Leaders’ meetings with voters Journalistic articles for fee Independent journalistic analysis and news Press- conference Local organisations work with voters Private Mass-media Public demonstrations and protests Party press

13. Methods to inform the public, used by Our Moldova Alliance Party Press- conference Local organisations work with voters Leaders’ meetings with voters Journalistic articles for fee Party press Private Mass-media Independent journalistic analysis and news Public demonstrations and protests State-controlled Mass-media

14. Methods to inform the public, used by Christian Democratic People’s Party Party press Local organisations work with voters Private Mass-media Journalistic articles for fee Press- conference Independent journalistic analysis and news State-controlled Mass-media Leaders’ meetings with voters Public demonstrations and protests

15. Methods to inform the public, used by Social Democratic Party Press- conference Journalistic articles for fee Leaders’ meetings with voters Independent journalistic analysis and news Local organisations work with voters Private Mass-media Public demonstrations and protests Party press

16. Financial resources of the parties,according to the Law no. 294 adopted on 21.12.2007 Article 25. Funding sources: • Membership fees • Donations • Budgetary subventions • Incomes from publishing or from activity resulting from administration of the property Public or private funding of political parties should not intend to limit their independence (article 25. (6) from Law)

17. Legal framework for donations: • It is a patrimony offered free of charge and unconditional to the party and accepted by this • Annual income from the donations should not exceed 0.1% of the state budget revenues for that year • An individual can donate to one or more parties but the amount shall not exceed 500 avarage monthly salaries • A legal entity can donate to one or more parties but the amount shall not exceed 1000 avarage monthly salaries • It is prohibited the direct and indirect financing by foreign states and international organisations, by companies, by institutions and organisations financed by the state or that have state capital, by foreign capital, by non-comercial organisations, by trade-unions, by charity or religious organisations, by citizens of Moldova who are under age or are situated abroad, by anonymous individuals, as well as in the name of third parties.

18. Membership fees: • The amount and the mode of payment of membership fees should be determined by the political party statute (Article 25 (3) of the Law No. 294)

19. The distribution of budgetary allocations: • The total amount of subsides is 0.2% of budget revenues • 50% are granted to parliamentary parties, proportionally with the number of seats obtianed at the moment of validation • 50% are granted to parties that obtained at least 50 seats in district (raion) councils, proportionally with the number of seats

20. Sponsorship from Business people Members’ donations Party funding sources (system average), experts’ view Contribution of candidates for position in the list External donations External Grants (for projects) Editorial and other activities Membership fees Other

21. Party funding sources (system average), in the party officials’ view External donations Budgetary financial means Editorial and other activities Sponsorship from Business people Contribution of candidates for position in the list External Grants Members’ donations Membership fees

22. Funding sources of Communist Party, experts’ view Sponsorship from Business people Contribution of candidates for position in the list Members’ donations Membership fees External donations Other

23. Funding sources of Liberal Democratic Party, experts’ view Members’ donations Sponsorship from Business people Contribution of candidates for position in the list External donations External Grants (for projects) Membership fees

24. Members’ donations Sponsorship from Business people External donations Funding sources of Liberal Party, experts’ view Contribution of candidates for position in the list External Grants (for projects) Membership fees Other

25. Funding sources of Democratic Party, experts’ view Sponsorship from Business people Members’ donations Contribution of candidates for position in the list External Grants (for projects) Editorial and other activities External donations

26. Funding sources of Our Moldova Alliance, experts’ view Contribution of candidates for position in the list Sponsorship from Business people Members’ donations Editorial and other activities External donations

27. Funding sources of Christian Democrats, experts’ view Members’ donations Sponsorship from Business people External donations Contribution of candidates for position in the list External Grants (for projects) Editorial and other activities

28. Funding sources of Social Democratic Party, experts’ view Sponsorship from Business people Members’ donations Contribution of candidates for position in the list External donations External Grants (for projects) Membership fees

29. Audiovisual Code • Offering airtime to a party for promoting its positions, the broadcaster must also provide, in the framework of the same kind of programs and at the same time, airtime to other parties • Founders of private broadcasters can not be political parties and political organisations (article 66)

30. Law on political parties • Political parties have the right to establish and to have their own mass-media and to have publishing (editorial) activity (article 17)

31. Leaders’ meetings with voters Press- conferences Journalistic articles for fee Methods to inform the public, used by political parties (system average), experts’ view Party press Private Mass-media Independent journalistic analysis and news Local organisations work with voters Public demonstrations and protests State-controlled Mass-media

32. Methods to inform the public, used by political parties (system average), party offcials’ view Press- conferences Mass-media (TV, Radio) Controlled by party State-controlled Mass-media Local organisations work with voters Leaders’ meetings with voters Public demonstrations and protests Independent journalistic analysis and news Journalistic articles for fee Party press

33. Methods to inform the public, used by Communist Party Party press Private Mass-media Leaders’ meetings with voters State-controlled Mass-media Journalistic articles for fee Local organisations work with voters Press- conferences

34. Methods to inform the public, used by Liberal Democratic Party Private Mass-media Independent journalistic analysis and news Leaders’ meetings with voters Press- conferences Journalistic articles for fee Public demonstrations and protests Local organisations work with voters Party press State-controlled Mass-media

35. Methods to inform the public, used by Liberal Party Public demonstrations and protests Press- conferences Independent journalistic analysis and news Leaders’ meetings with voters Journalistic articles for fee Private Mass-media Local organisations work with voters State-controlled Mass-media

36. Patrimony of parties(from Law on political parties, nr.294 adopted on 21.12.2007) Article 24. Party patrimony: • Buildings • Equipment • Publishing house • Typography • Transport units • Other goods that are not prohibited by law

37. Party estate, system average Regional structures with headquarter Regional structures without headquarter

38. Party estate Liberal democrats Democrats Christian Democrats communists Liberals Our Moldova Social Democrats Regional structures with headquarter Regional structures with headquarter

39. Party staff remuneration, system average Remunerated party officials Non-Remunerated party officials

40. Remuneration of the party offcials Liberal democrats Democrats Christian Democrats communists Liberals Our Moldova Social Democrats Remunerated party officials Non-Remunerated party officials

41. Use of budgetary allocations (article 29): • Maintanence of the headquarters • Personnel expenses • Expenses for media and promotional materials • Expenses for travel within the country and abroad • Expenses for telecommunication • Expenses for organizing political activities • Expenses for hosting foreign delegations • For payment of the membership fees in international organisations in which the party is member • Investments in estate and mobile units that are necessary for party activity • Protocol expenses • Office expenses • Expenses for electoral campaign

42. Article 32 of the Law no 294 adopted on 27.12.2007 • Entry into force of the law on budgetary subsidies: • 50 %, beginning with July 1, 2011 (after local elections) • 50 %, beginning with July 1, 2013 (after parliamentary elections)

43. Recommendations: • Changing electoral system in order to amend the method of election of the members of parliament • Setting a stricter legal framework for donations, lowering the maximum ceiling for donations offered by legal entity or individual, correlation of the donated amount with the incomes of the individual; • Until the entry into force of the norms regarding the budgetary subsidies, may be applied mechansims of indirect funding or of material support (eg. VAT-exemption of the party press, lowering the taxes on distribution of the party press, granting fiscal incentives for the donors, ceiling the taxes on political advertising in the public media, etc.); • Amend the audiovisual and electoral legislation in order to oblige public broadcasters to organize political debates in the pre-election period, ie several months before the start of the election period itself.