Moldovan premier's speech given at ceremony on Constitution Day

Dear Mr. President of Moldova,

Dear Mr. ex-president of Moldova,

Dear Mr. Parliament Speaker,

Dear Mr. President of the Constitutional Court,

Dear judges of the Constitutional Court,

Distinguished audience,

I am honoured today to participate in this solemn meeting to mark the 22nd anniversary of the adoption of the Republic of Moldova’s Constitution – the fundamental law of the state, meant to strengthen the unanimously accepted values of the supremacy of law and democracy, respect for the human dignity, protection of human rights and freedoms. 

On the period of more than two decades since the adoption of the Constitution, we had periods of searches, challenges, as well as achievements. On this time, the Fundamental Law was subject to more constitutional reforms; yet, it preserved the people’s aspirations for worthy and free life unchanged. 

The process of Moldova’s democratization started much before the adoption of the Constitution. Our state aligned with the international standards on guaranteeing and protection of the fundamental rights and freedoms through the Declaration of Independence from 1991. At the same time, once the Constitution adopted and the Constitutional Court set up, a decisive stage was opened in the history of our state, with Moldova firmly committing to the democratic process. The Constitution is the certificate of birth of our democracy; just as each of us celebrates his/her birthday, in the same way we, as a nation, should mark the Constitution Day.

As the most important political and legal act, the Constitution created the needed pre-requisites for edifying a real democracy, for the efficient work of the political pluralism and assertion of new institutions oriented towards promotion of the democratic values, allowed ensuring the residents’ political rights, and the reform strategies have acquired more certainty. All these achievements were got with the direct assistance of the Constitutional Court, empowered with the responsible mission of guarantor of the Constitution’s supremacy.    

Our country is going through a crucial period for its future. Facing new domestic and external challenges, we need unity and solidarity of all the society, the entire political establishment, in order to speed up implementation of our project on modernizing the country, based on the European model. For this reason, our obligation is to treat the Constitution not as an instrument of the state power, but as a document which shows the interests of the society and the social values, lays the foundations of goals and directions of society’s development, represents the core of the national law system and is guarantor of the human rights and freedoms. Democracy cannot be built but on the supremacy of law and economic freedom. As long as we understand these things not as abstract theses taken from a treaty on pedagogy, but as guiding grounds of our daily work, we will have pillars of support within our society and the international democratic community.     

Distinguished audience,  

The Constitution has established our common desideratum to have a prosperous country, where we want to live. Presently, the fact when and how this desideratum becomes reality depends on each of us. For the people of our country, we have the duty to strengthen a model of development due to be based on well-being and freedom for everyone, in which everybody should have a fair chance to succeed in life. I know that a day will come, when the colour of political power will not matter. When every electoral exercise will generate a government due to develop projects, not to start from the very beginning. The Constitution provides all needed instruments to this end. What the political establishment has been lacking during or recent history was the capacity to think and act in the name of the state reason. This is the principal cause of the people’s suffering and I am firmly confident that this state of things should be immediately overcome. We will get over these challenges with responsibility and confidence and the citizen must know that that we have a clear-cut solution: political and society consensus, to fulfill our country project – integration into EU and living for everybody like in Europe. Just as the Constitution is one, in the same way, we must be united and resolute to get where the Moldovan deserve. If I was speaking on the Fundamental Law, that it is the certificate of birth of our democracy, the next step is getting the European passport.         

I should recognize that, in the context of the country’s modernization, the role of the Constitutional Court has been and remains inestimable. We will understand its deepness as time passes. I will just limit myself to say that, in moments of political and social drift, the Court was often the stabilizing element which constrained the political actors to stay in the legal field, defending sometimes the interests of the people with obstinacy close to sacrifice. After we took over Moldova in a very difficult moment in last January, I hope that we will get used to stability for good and that we less and less need the stabilizing role and decisive intervention of the Constitutional Court. We do not want either political or constitutional crises.    

On this symbolical day, I want to thank all those who, while working in this institution, contributed to consolidating our young democracy; I believe that, as we learn from the past and follow our country project, not only the prestige of the Court will be enhanced, but also the quality and recognition of our democracy.          

In another context, I want to say that each year brings new experiences, new rulings by the Constitutional Court, new tendencies in the constitutional doctrine. All these put in a new light not only the content and spirit of the Constitution, but also reveal the deepness of the respect and the seriousness of our commitment to the Constitution. The Constitution and the Court’s decisions are observed not only when they suit us, but every day! Therefore, I deem it as essential that our young people learn in schools the essential aspects of the Constitution and of our democratic evolution.    

I strongly believe that the power of the Constitution lies not only in the written leverages, but also in its spirit. The solidity of the Supreme Law is based on the values on which a society is built, on traditions, ideas, customs, on political and public dialogue between institutions. And I am also firmly confident that the respect for the principles and values stipulated in the Constitution can be strengthened by the deeds of each of us. This is a lesson not only for each citizen of Moldova, but also for each political decision-taker: the smaller is the distance between the spirit of the Constitution and principles of the political decision, the stronger out democracy will be.   

In the end, I want to wish all those present in this hall success in the fundamental and not at all easy work of consolidating the democratic and European values laid down in the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova! Let us learn not only to observe but also to love the Constitution every day!

(Editor L. Alcaza)