Draft on election of judges directly by people to be considered in next parliament

Chisinau, 16 October /MOLDPRES/- The draft amendment to the Constitution, which provides for election of judges directly by the people, will be examined in the next parliament. Democrat MP Sergiu Sirbu made the statement in an exclusive interview for AIS MOLDPRES.

The Democrat, who is also the author of the draft amendment to the Constitution, said the procedure that this initiative is going through is a rather complicated one and it will take at least eight or nine months. He noted that following several surveys, it was found that the percentage of citizens wishing to be directly involved in the election of judges is very high.

“The amendment to the legislation on the matter would bring more confidence among citizens. As with all reforms we have made, some of them even tangible, the citizens’ confidence in the judicial system is still low. If the people had levers in the choice of judges, their responsibility would be greater. We understand that it is an unusual proposal especially for Europe, but it could shake the system, which is largely captive to its own caste interests," he said.

He noted that there are several technical models that could be applied in the case, and all proposals will be subject to public examinations and will be analyzed by experts so that the final document is complex and explicit. "We have a very poor legal culture, there is still much to go on. Having the opportunity to choose their own judges, the citizens will be responsible. It is very simple and convenient to accuse a party or a leader of failures in one area or another. I believe such a change will be a popular measure among citizens,” he said.

On 11 October, the MPs voted a decision requiring the legal commission on rules and immunities to work out a draft law on amending and supplementing the Constitution of Moldova as regards the election of judges directly by the people. The commission will consult the draft publicly and will involve in its elaboration specialists from the Parliament Secretariat, the State Chancellery, the Ministry of Justice, the Superior Council of Magistracy and the Central Election Commission. It will also be able to call on the assistance of specialists and independent experts from Moldova and abroad.

 (Reporter A. Zara, editor M. Jantovan)