Reports
LDPM GIVES UP RAISING SIGNATURES FOR AMENDING CONSTITUTION
Chisinau. The Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova has announced it will not submit to the Central Election Commission (CEC) the citizens’ signatures raised for holding a nation-wide referendum on amending the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova.
LDPM leader MP Vladimir Filat said at a news conference in Infotag today that party activists “have raised 224.2 thousand signatures – enough for commencing the Constitution amendment procedure, despite all the obstacles and intimidations the Communist authorities made. Regretfully, 10 days before the signature campaign completion deadline [of June 23], the CEC stated that the referendum needs 340 thousand signatures to be held, though Article 141 in the Communist clearly says – 200 thousand”.
He believes the Commission is doing everything to upset the referendum preparation work, so “we do not want to endanger those citizens who support us. We don’t want them to be intimidated or have problems. It would be too risky to send their signatures to the CEC”.
Filat thanked all those who worked hard collecting signatures, and assured that nobody will ever receive access to the signature lists [containing people’s passport data] except reliable LDPM members.
He said, the Liberal Democrats shall be insisting that the European Parliament should pass a Resolution on human rights violations in Moldova, proposed by EP deputy Maria Petre of Romania. In his words, the same topic will be debated in the German Bundestag shortly.
Vladimir Filat proposed to amend the Constitution in a way to return to election of president by the entire nation, not by the parliament of 101, and to electing a half of parliament members by party tickets and the other half – from single-mandate constituencies.
