PRESIDENT DODON SAYS IT IS UP TO PARLIAMENT TO DECIDE CONCERNING ANNULLING THE LAW AGAINST FOREIGN PROPAGANDA

The question of annulling the Law on struggle against foreign propaganda in Moldova is within the Parliament’s scope of competence, President Igor Dodon stated on Wednesday, answering journalists’ questions concerning the yesterday’s initiative of the Party of Socialists about that.

“Such is the Party’s position. But besides the PSRM, there are 5-6 other parties represented in the Moldovan Parliament, and each of them has its own position. So, let them discuss the issue in the Parliament. When the forum decides something and sends in its document to the President for promulgation, I will speak out my opinion”, said Igor Dodon.

The President reminded that when the Law on struggle against foreign propaganda was approved by the Parliament in 2017, he refused to promulgate it.

As was already reported by Infotag, the Law on Amending the Audiovisual Code was approved by the Democrats-dominated Parliament on December 7, 2017. The document introduced a ban on retransmitting in Moldova of the news, information-analytical, political and military programs cast by countries that have not ratified the European Convention on Transfrontier Television. As Russia is the only nation available on Moldovan TV screens, which has not ratified that Convention, the Russian television in Moldova has remained without such highly-rated news and political programs.

President Igor Dodon then refused to promulgate that Law, but it was repeatedly approved by that Parliament on December 22, 2017. The President’s promulgation job was willingly fulfilled by Parliament Speaker Andrian Candu, D, who was permitted to act so by a decision of the Plahotniuc’s Constitutional Court. So, the Law came into force on February 12, 2018.

From the very beginning, the Party of Socialists was proposing to repeal that Law, but it had no and has no votes in parliament enough for that. Currently, the annulment initiative would not be supported by right-wing forces or the Democratic Party – the author of that Law, whose only purpose and destination is to struggle against the so-called “Russian propaganda”. The Socialists refrain from standing up with initiatives that may irritate the Democratic Party. In the Statement adopted by the PSRM All-Republican Council yesterday, the Party of Socialists officially recognized for the first time that a new parliamentary majority has appeared in Moldova [PSRM + DPM], which President Igor Dodon can rely on.