Reports
SOCIAL DEMOCRATS CALLING CITIZENS TO BOYCOTT REFERENDUM
The Social Democratic Party of Moldova (SDPM) has called upon the Moldova citizenry to boycott the September 5 referendum on amending the Constitution’s Article 78 stipulating the procedure of electing the head of state.
At a news conference in Infotag today, SDPM Secretary General Sergiu Corobceanu read out the party’s statement saying that by the decision to organize the referendum and subsequently to hold a presidential election, certain interested forces are in fact making an illicit attempt to preserve in power the current Parliament.
In this connection, the SDPM has announced it is launching a campaign called “Independent Moldova” aimed at improving the population’s awareness of the danger, which the country will come to face in case the referendum is recognized as valid.
SDPM Chairman Victor Shelin explained that the Social Democrats stand for electing president by a direct vote, but against recognizing the referendum as valid.
“We are profoundly alarmed that the amendments, introduced recently into the Electoral Code, are permitting to re-write the Constitution by the votes of merely 17% citizens eligible to vote. Firstly, this cannot indeed be regarded as a representative voting. Secondly, all this is creating a precedent, so the interested forces will subsequently feel free to start organizing other referendums, with outcomes to be projected beforehand that would lead to liquidation of the Republic of Moldova statehood”, stated Victor Shelin, and called upon the ruling coalition to give up the referendum enterprise.
Shelin supports the idea of amending Article 78 in parliament, by the vote of three-fifths of deputies. At the same time, he stands for an immediate dissolution of the current Parliament.
Gagauzia Popular Assembly [parliament] Speaker Anna Harlamenko, a SDPM member, said the residents of the Gagauz Yeri autonomous region [in southern Moldova] are mostly against the referendum, for they have an apprehension that it may lead to amending not only Article 78 but other ones as well.
“Besides this, the holding of this referendum cannot serve a guarantee that the Constitution shall not be changed to the detriment of Gagauzia. The incumbent Constitution, in its present shape, stipulates too few rights for the Gagauz people. And after this referendum, respect for Gagauzia and its rights may well be further undermined”, said Anna Harlamenko, adding that the autonomous region may decide to take no part in the September 5 referendum, and that the referendum may trigger a wave of massive protests in the south.
And SDPM National Council member Ruslan Barladeanu voiced an opinion that the Moldovan society is eye-witnessing an action of subverting of the Republic of Moldova’s statehood and rule of law.
