Decree on organization of consultative referendum declared unconstitutional in Moldova

12:47 | 27.07.2017 Category: Political

Chisinau, 27 July /MOLDPRES/ – The Constitutional Court of Moldova (CCM) declared the decree on the organization of a national consultative referendum unlawful, today. The decision was taken after the Liberal MPs submitted a petition to the court for verifying the constitutionality of the decree issued by the head of state, Igor Dodon.

According to the CCM’s decision, the organization of this referendum exceeds the President’s powers. Regarding the abolition of the Law of the billion, the CCM noted that action could have only taken place through a legislative referendum and not through a consultative referendum. It was also found that the President did not have the right to initiate the amendment of the Constitution.

Referring the widening of the Head of State's powers on dissolution of Parliament, the Court stated that that could generate a political crisis or could be used as a political tool. The CCM also mentioned that scientific appreciation of history teaching in educational institutions of Moldova lied with the academic environment and not with the political ones.

Following the decision, the leader of the Liberal Party, Mihai Ghimpu, specified that, "the CCM’s decision was constitutionally reasoned, being a final one".

At his part, Maxim Lebedinschi, President’s legal advisor and institutional relations, specified that the Court's decision would be a political one. "It is premature to talk about later actions. We shall be waiting for the CCM’s motivated decision, after which we will decide," said Lebedinschi.

The head of state, Igor Dodon, signed at the end of March a decree on organization of a consultative referendum on four issues. According to the President, citizens were to rule on: abolition of the Law of the billion, reduction of the number of MPs from 101 to 71, granting of additional constitutional rights to the President for the Parliament’s dissolution and possibility of studying the Moldovan history in the schools of Moldova.

(Reporter A. Ciobanu, editor M. Jantovan)

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