Former president of Moldova's Constitutional Court says putting down in Constitution of European vector would mean guide line for all governances, no matter political colour

Chisinau, 23 October /MOLDPRES/ - The republican constitutional referendum from 20 October on Moldova’s accession to the European Union represents a victory of the Moldovans and the European integration will be a priority for all governances of Moldova, no matter their political colour, the former president of the Constitutional Court (CC), Alexandru Tanase, has told MOLDPRES.     

                „The text included in the ballot paper becomes law'' 

Contacted by MOLDPRES, Alexandru Tanase said that, after the Constitutional Court considers the report of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) and rules to validate the referendum, the text included in the ballot paper would become law. ‘’Once this referendum validated, the text included in the ballot paper automatically becomes law, without any additional conditions.’’

At the same time, Alexandru Tanase notes that the amendment of the Constitution did not solve all problems of the Moldovans, although the positive result at the referendum is regarded as a victory of the society, which, according to the expert, has evolved in the last years. ‘’The putting down of the European vector in the Constitution, in fact, does not solve all problems, I do not believe that something will directly change in our lives after the text amended in the Constitution is published in the Official Journal (Monitorul Oficial). This modification might means rather a guide line for all governances of Moldova, no matter their colour, either they are right-wine or left-wing, to promote policies which are in accordance with the European principles and values and which should lead to the nearing of Moldova’s accession to the European Union,’’ Tanase specified.       

       „This referendum was passed and shows a certain evolution of the Moldovan society’’

The expert constitutionalist said that, unlike the referendum from 2010, which was not adopted because of the low voter turnout; this time, the Moldovan society had evolved, although the two plebiscites have many similar aspects, one of which is the Russian propaganda and the voters’ manipulation.    

„At that time, the Party of Communists (PCRM) launched a propagandistic campaign alleging that the change of the form of the Moldovan president’s election would mean the bringing of Romanian gendarmes to Bessarabia, which was an aberration. At present, representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church from Moldova, the branch of Moscow’s Patriarchy in Moldova, had a comprehensive campaign of manipulating the public opinion, suggesting that, in fact, the European integration would obligatorily presume the transformation of the mother and father in the parent No 1 and parent No 2 or the obligation for children to change their sex or other aberrations. The society’s vulnerability to these manipulations remained at pretty high levels.       

‘’The positive part is that, nevertheless, this referendum from 2024 was passed and I think that this fact is quite important and it shows a certain evolution of the Moldovan society in this respect,’’ Tanase specified.   

„The Moldovans gained a victory – managed to include in the Constitution the affiliation with the EU’s value-related area’’  

According to Tanase, the Moldovans gained a victory, saying their word for the amendment of the country’s fundamental law, for legislating Moldova’s affiliation with the European Union’s value-related area.  

„As general opinion, I believe that the Moldovans gained a victory, as we have managed to achieve the goal set and namely to amend the Constitution and include in the fundamental text of the Fundamental Law Moldova’s affiliation with the European Union’s value-related and cultural area,’’ Tanase said.   

                         What provisions will Moldova’s Constitution contain

If the results of the referendum are validated, the preamble of the Constitution will be completed with the following paragraph:

„RECONFIRMING the European identity of the Republic of Moldova’s people and the irreversibility of Moldova’s European integration way,   

DECLARING the integration into the European Union as strategic goal of the Republic of Moldova.’’  

Also, under the Parliament Decision from 16 May, the Constitution will be completed with the title V1 ‘’INTEGRATION INTO THE EUROPEAN UNION,’’ which will see ‘’the accession to the constitutive treaties and the acts of revising the constitutive treaties of the European Union’’ through organic law.     

The Fundamental Law will also envisage that, following Moldova’s accession to the European Union, the constitutive treaties of the European Union, as well as the other compulsory legal acts of the European Union will have priority over the contrary provisions from the domestic laws, with the observance of the provisions of the act on accession.     

A republican constitutional referendum on the accession to the European Union was held in Moldova on 20 October. At a general ballot, the citizens answered the question: ‘’Do you support the Constitution’s amendment for Moldova’s accession to the European Union?’’   

According to the results systematized by CEC, 750,137 citizens or 50.38 per cent of the citizens, said YES; the other 40.62 per cent (738,737 citizens) expressed the NO option. As many as 1,488,874 citizens with right to vote participated in the ballot.