Moldovan contenders for parliamentary polls, candidates for public offices to present integrity certificate

Chisinau, 13 February /MOLDPRES/ - Contenders for the parliamentary elections, as well as candidates for other public offices will be obliged to get an integrity certificate issued by the National Integrity Authority (ANI).  The leader of the Democratic Party of Moldova (PDM), Vlad Plahotniuc, made statements to this effect at a today’s news briefing held following a weekly meeting of PDM.   

Democrats’ leader Vlad Plahotniuc noted that “the government was asked to work out integrity certificates for elected civil servants and officials, as well as to process a mechanism of checking the integrity of state officials.”

At the same time, a PDM MP, Sergiu Sirbu, said that this draft law had been recently recorded in parliament and represented a continuation of the observance and fulfillment of Moldova’s commitments in the fight against corruption, in improving the mechanism of integrity and fulfilling the recommendations by the Venice Commission concerning candidates’ integrity.  

“These mechanisms and norms have been already introduced in the Electoral Code; yet, to work efficiently, we need to develop the mechanism in the related legislation as well. Thus, this integrity certificate will be a document due to be issued by the National Integrity Authority in a period of 15 days at the latest. The document will contain: information on the confiscated wealth and properties, incompatibilities found out, conflicts of interests, limitings and restrictions to hold certain offices,” Sirbu noted.   

At the news briefing, the PDM management also informed about the unveiling of a political notification on an initiative concerning the enforcement of a mechanism of promoting women in politics. “A draft to this effect is to be given final touches and registered in parliament by PDM lawmakers. It represents a commitment coming from recommendations by the Venice Commission and is a needed thing for the modernization of the political establishment. This mechanism has been already included in the electoral legislation; yet, at the same time, it is to be developed in the related legislation too. In this way, we want women to be intensely promoted in politics,” Sergiu Sirbu added.   

Under the initiative, in order to enforce the mixed electoral system, a mechanism was proposed, according to which women will collect twice less signatures to run in a uninominal district. At the same time, a budgetary supplement will be proposed for the parties who put forward at least 40 per cent women in uninominal districts. The supplement will account for at least ten per cent of the sum earmarked annually for financing formations.  

(Reporter A. Ciobanu, editor M. Jantovan)