Politics

​LIBERAL DEMOCRATS STAND UP WITH NEW INITIATIVE ON DIRECT PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

10 february, 2016

The parliamentary LDPM faction has stood up with a new legislative initiative on a direct, nation-wide electing of president in Moldova, MP Chiril Lucinschi announced at a press briefing held on Tuesday evening.

He reminded that in 2000 the Moldova Constitution was amended in a way that presidents in the republic started to be elected in parliament. However, the new system subsequently led to a number of serious impasses and political crises.

“The current mechanism of electing president is incomplete and imperfect, and may cause political crises in the future as well. Practically all opinion polls of last few years show that an overwhelming majority of the Moldovan population support a return to a direct election of president. Proceeding from the parliamentary majority’s readiness to support the holding of a referendum on this issue, we believe that there is no point in spending tremendous money on a nationwide referendum when it is quite possible to vote for a direct presidential election in parliament”, said Chiril Lucinschi.

According to him, the legislative initiative has already been registered with the Parliament Secretariat. It was signed by 11 Liberal Democratic parliamentarians. The forum’s largest Socialist faction of 24 have already stated they will support the initiative, though they do not mind holding a referendum, either.

The initiative to amend the Constitution by voting in parliament has appeared in response to the proposal made by Speaker Andrian Candu on holding a referendum on the issue. However, to introduce amendments to the Constitution, it is necessary to have a corresponding bill, which may be considered in parliament only in 6 months after its blessing by the Constitutional Court. At the moment, there is no such document. An address to the Constitutional Court requires the signatures of minimum 34 deputies, and for passing the decision in parliament – minimum 67 parliamentarians, or two-thirds of the 101-member Parliament of Moldova. Previously, analogous initiatives on amending the Constitution did come, but all of them have by now run out of law-stipulated deadlines.

Commenting on the Liberal Democrats’ initiative, Liberal Party Chairman Mihai Ghimpu stated that the next President of Moldova “shall all the same be elected in parliament” because the Constitution amendment procedures take minimum 6 months and in many cases – years, while President Timofti’s term of office expires on March 22.

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