Moldovan Liberal Democrat MPs submit new notification to top court

Chisinau, 12 November /MOLDPRES/- MPs of the Liberal Democratic Party (PLDM) today submitted a notification to the Constitutional Court (CC), thereby asking to interpret two articles approved by the Moldovan parliament in 2000, related to three amendments to the Constitution, providing for the election of the president by direct vote.

According to Liberal-Democrats, on 2 August 1999, a group of lawmakers submitted the CC a draft law amending the Constitution. Subsequently, the CC ruled in favour of that draft law, specifying that it was “the version submitted by the group of MPs.''

On 5 July 2000, the Moldovan parliament amended Articles 135 and 141 of the Constitution, according to which the president is being elected by the parliament.

“The examination of the voting procedure 15 years ago, proved the existence of infringements. They relate to the amendment of the Constitution, by including the amendments which had not been previously approved by CC,” Liberal Democrat MP Valeriu Ghiletchi said.

Ghiletchi also said trhe concerned infringement was inadmissible and “if it is not sanctioned, it means that the parliament may hypothetically anytime submit the court a draft law amending the constitution and subsequently, vote anything it wants during its plenary sessions. If the CC rules in favour of this decision, it will affect neither the present parliament, nor the mandate of the current president”.

MPs of the Liberal Democrat faction added that it was possible to carry out free, direct and universal presidential elections during the four months left until the end of the current president’s mandate.

Currently, a president needs the vote of 61 MPs to be elected.

(Reporter A. Plitoc, A. Raileanu)