Moldovan Liberal Party president Mihai Ghimpu informed Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjǿrn Jagland in a phone conversation today about the decision of the Moldovan parliamentary majority to conduct a referendum in an attempt to ease the constitutional rules for electing a President. Ghimpu stated in particular that a successful outcome of such a referendum would be “the only solution” to overcome the long-standing stalemate generated by the failure to elect a President, the Liberal Party said in a press release, quoted by Info-Prim Neo. Ghimpu further said that the party's lawyers held consultations with legal experts and scholars on the constitutional amendments, which made the Liberal Party to opt for a presidential election model like the one used in Germany. This would mean, according to the Liberals, that the President in Moldova should be elected starting with 51 votes of Parliament deputies, with a gradual reduction of the threshold until elected. He recalled that “the Alliance for European Integration included in its government program the objective of adopting a new Constitution which would remove all the existing legislative shortcomings”. Mihai Ghimpu also regretted the fact that the Moldovan citizens cannot vote for the President directly; however this issue cannot be put up for a referendum because the 2-year interval between the last referendum on this question has not passed yet. In concluding, Mihai Ghimpu promised that the draft constitutional amendments will be sent to the Council of Europe's Venice Commission for assistance and expert advice.