Candidates for parliamentary, presidential elections to be required to present certificate of mental health

Chisinau, 6 September /MOLDPRES/- The government approved today the legislative initiative of a group of MPs which provides for the extension of the list of documents for the registration of candidates for elections. Thus, the candidate will be obliged to submit to the Central Election Commission (CEC) or to the constituency electoral councils “the candidate’s mental health certificate”, issued by the special commission working under CEC.

The authors of the initiative believe that the presentation of the certificate is appropriate “in order to prove the proper health condition of the candidates for certain positions, taking into account the specific activities to be carried out or whether special health requirements are laid down in the job description”.

Candidates for elections “must be checked in the examination, including assessment of mental health and a certificate of mental health”, the group of MPs said. The legislation in force provides for the presentation of the health certificate by the candidate for the post of head of state.

The committees that will conduct medical examination of candidates for public positions will be formed by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection.

The opposition believes that the mental health certificate presented by the candidate limits the right of citizens to be elected, as the government could exclude those who are inconvenient to power from voting.

(Reporter V. Bercu, editor A. Răileanu)