Moldovan parliament speaker's message on Constitution Day
15:59 | 29.07.2016 Category: Official
Chisinau, 29 July /MOLDPRES/ - Parliament Speaker Andrian Candu has participated in the official ceremony dedicated to the Constitution Day. The event, organized by the Moldovan parliament and Constitutional Court, brought together the leadership of Moldova, MPs, ministers, diplomats, judges, representatives of the civil society and academic environment, the parliament’s communication and public relations department has reported.
The parliament speaker gave the following speech:
“Dear Mr. President,
Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
Dear Mr. President of the Constitutional Court,
Dear colleagues, dear guests, distinguished audience,
I am quite pleased to participate I, along with You, in the 22nd anniversary of Moldova’s Constitution, adopted on 29 July 1994.
Beyond the special historical significance of the this event, I declare with emotion that I am very moved by the solemnity of the moment and I am honoured to take part, along with my colleagues from the parliament and government, in developing the democratic construction of Moldova, taking also into account the fact that, this year, we mark the 25th anniversary of the Independence. This is a great responsibility and, availing myself of the occasion, I want to thank all those who laid the foundations of the formation of our democratic state and to express, on this occasion too, our gratitude.
In the two decades since the adoption of the Constitution, Moldova’s fundamental law has passed through more constitutional reforms. On this period, about 40 constitutional norms have been revised. The most significant constitutional reform was the one from July 2000, which led to the transformation of the semi-presidential republic into a parliamentary republic
One of the problematic inheritances of this reform, which regulated the election of the head of state with the votes of three fifths of the elected MPs, triggered numerous political crises. As a result, the parliament was dissolved three times, and the constitutional referendum, organized in 2010 for revising the way the Moldovan president is elected, was not validated.
Six years after that, we should recognize that, although the political establishment had the primary responsibility to find the needed consensus to settle this problem and not allow eventual similar political crises, the Constitutional Court was the one to break the vicious circle, re-establishing the citizens’ right to elect their president.
Just as the fundamental law itself sees, the Constitutional Court acted in line with its purpose – the one to ensure the fulfillment of the principles of separation of state powers and the state observing its responsibilities before the citizen. I want to congratulate the entire team of the Constitutional Court on this anniversary and I thank you for the all your so important work – to keep an eye on the observance of the fundamental principles.
Distinguished audience,
This year, we celebrate the 25th anniversary of Moldova’s independence – a festive moment, as well as one of evaluation. Certainly, this was not an easy period for our country; yet, despite all difficulties, we have the duty to move forward and not anyway, but with the lessons learned.
I would like that, each year, when we celebrate the Constitution, the country’s symbols, independence, we celebrate the progress, balance and stability of Moldova – this is what the country needs and this is what our citizens need.
We achieved with difficulty, in 2014, our country’s firm and irreversible anchoring in the European space of values, as a result of a sustained effort. This year, the Association Agreement with the European Union fully entered into force, after all the EU member states had ratified the document. The expression of this achievement should be transposed in continuation into a comprehensive and complex process of reforms, which we assumed with all responsibility before our European partners and citizens.
I want to end by reminding everybody that, no matter whether we speak about the amendment of the Constitution, carrying out reforms, the country’s development, we need consensus and stability. I urge you to work in continuation together for Moldova’s modernization, so as to ensure a real positive impact on the quality of living of each citizen.
A well-known saying of a great man and political leader Nelson Mandela, who became President of the South Africa in 1994, when Moldova’s Constitution was adopted, reads as follows: “If we don’t change, we don’t develop. If we don’t develop, we don’t live.” Paraphrasing, at the 25th anniversary of the independence, should prove that we can change, so that Moldova could live really with dignity and freely.
Thank You!”
(Editor L. Alcaza)