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Interview/Speech/Testimony

People of the Moldova CEC: Head of Legal Department Ludmila Lupasco

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Ludmila Lupasco, recently appointed as the Head of the Legal Department, is a hardworking professional, actively supporting the Central Election Commission (CEC) staff on all legal matters and representing the CEC in court with election complaints.

In November 2011, Lupasco became a fully-accredited BRIDGE facilitator. IFES had a chance to sit down with Lupasco and discuss the changes she has seen both in the organization and herself since working with the CEC. 

Ludmila, please tell us, when did you first come to work at the CEC and what was your first job?

I joined the CEC in 2009, at the same time the electoral campaign for the April 5 parliamentary elections began. I was hired as a consultant in the Legal and PR Department. My main role was to draft decisions on electoral complaints, review normative acts issued by other institutions and make sure that human resource administrative activities were being executed.

How has the CEC changed since you arrived?

The CEC has significantly changed in its structure and organization. In 2011, a new commission was appointed and new leaders of different departments were chosen. The Legal Department was also re-organized. The department used to be “Legal and Public Relations” with five positions. Now, it is the “Legal Department” with six positions. The need to reorganize the structure of the CEC was dictated by the increased volume of work, as well as taking on new competences and functional roles.

Tell us some of the accomplishments you are proud of.

My evolution within the CEC can be characterized on an ascending, positive track. Helping to organize and conduct an election is always a new and original experience. It requires a lot of effort and dedication, as well as continuous use of professional skills. Still, all this work offers satisfaction and fulfills my desire for new challenges.

As for my personal achievements within the CEC, I would mention my active involvement in the process of developing proposals to amend the legal electoral framework. This activity gave me both confidence and satisfaction by developing these amendments to the electoral legislation according to necessary requirements and evolutions in this field.

The process of organizing and conducting elections is also extremely important and gratifying because each electoral official can contribute to the functioning of the electoral system. Everyone’s activity is linked to one another and depends on how well other colleagues perform.

How has IFES contributed to your personal and professional development?

The cooperation with IFES has opened new horizons for me, especially through my professional development in the field of training. Due to our cooperation with IFES, I have successfully developed my training skills and accumulated enormous training experience. Together with my colleagues from IFES, I have been a part of many electoral seminars, round tables and conferences as a facilitator and participant.

I am fortunate to have participated in BRIDGE trainings and to have been accredited as a facilitator. These more active training methods, the subjects discussed and the great team of facilitators involved has really made a difference. As a result of BRIDGE, I had the opportunity to feel and understand the positive attitude of the IFES team and get their support in training electoral stakeholders, which has really helped the CEC achieve its goals.

Another area where I worked a lot with IFES is in the development of proposals to amend legislation related to political and campaign finance. I have cooperated with Natalia Iuras, IFES Project Manager, to not only develop recommendations for amendments to different laws, but also coordinate the Political Finance Working Group. Her experience and input helped us make big steps toward achieving the CEC’s goals.

What are your personal objectives for the next few years?

As mentioned above, the Legal Department structure has changed, and all tasks have been redistributed among the legal staff. One of my main objectives is to provide efficient management of the department and be successful in achieving of all of our objectives and tasks.

In the future I would like to continue to study international practice and experience in electoral complaints management; political and campaign finance; and methods of organizing and conducting referendums. I am sure I will continue to be engaged in the development of proposals to amend the Election Code and other laws related to our work and in trainings organized for electoral stakeholders here in Moldova.