Moldovan citizens have right to initiate legislative referenda

Chisinau, 2 October /MOLDPRES/- The Constitutional Court ruled today that all citizens of Moldova have the right to initiate legislative referenda, under the law. The issue came to the attention of magistrates after a group of Liberal lawmakers demanded the Constitution’s interpretation on the matter.

Magistrates found that the texts of Articles 2 (1) and 75 of the Constitution allow citizens to initiate legislative referenda, which is in line with international recommendations.

The Court held that although citizens have the right to initiate a legislative referendum, the legal framework comprises several omissions on the procedure for initiating this type of referendum, including on control of formal and material validity of the texts submitted to the referendum.

The Constitutional Court's decision is final, cannot be subject to any appeal and enters into force on the date of its adoption and is published in the Official Journal of Moldova.

(Reporter A. Zara, editor A. Răileanu)