The experts of the Venice Commission who arrived in Chisinau on May 18 had separate meetings with the parliamentary groups and discussed the supplements to the Constitution proposed by President Igor Dodon with these. The supplements refer to the mechanism for dissolving Parliament by referendum initiated by the Head of State, IPN reports.
After the meeting with the Democratic group, MP Sergiu Sarbu told the press that the Democratic Party is categorically against President Dodon’s initiative, which is populist. This political blackmail on the part of the President against Parliament is inadmissible. “He should dream only. Parliament will not be dissolved as President Dodon wants. We transmitted such a message to the experts of the Venice Commission,” he stated.
Socialist MP Vasile Bolea said after the meeting that the President should definitely enjoy additional powers to balance out the political system and not to allow Parliament to resort to abuse in one case or another.
Liberal leader Mihai Ghimpu said the Liberals do not support the President’s proposals as these are aimed at making the Head of State authoritarian. The Venice Commission will not endorse this initiative because this has no legal reason and is not justified.
According to the head of the Communist group Inna Supac, the Communist leader Vladimir Voronin suggested opening a permanent office of the Venice Commission in Chisinau. The Communist group does not support President Dodon’s initiative as this is only an element of political PR.
Head of the Liberal-Democratic group Tudor Deliu said the modification of the Constitution proposed by President Igor Dodon is not a legal act, but someone’s dream. The Constitution can be amended based on the Constitutional Court’s appraisal, but no such an appraisal exists.
Iurie Leanca, a member of the parliamentary group of the European People’s Party, said they told the experts that they do not support the President’s proposals and that these form part of the political agenda of Igor Dodon. The objective of these proposals is not to improve the situation in the Republic of Moldova or the life of people, but to prepare for the 2018 parliamentary elections.
Igor Dodon’s initiative envisions five new cases in which the President can initiate the dissolution of Parliament. The Head of State suggests amending Article 85 of the Constitution and empowering the President to dissolve the legislative body after consulting the parliamentary groups. In the second case, Parliament could be dissolved by the President if this did not fulfill the people’s will expressed at a referendum during 12 months or this could be dissolved as a result of a national referendum on the dismissal of the President with a negative result. Also, Parliament could be dissolved if it hadn’t adopted the State Budget Law during the first two months of the year or by referendum initiated by the President.
Igor Dodon initiated by presidential decree the holding of a consultative referendum with four questions. One of the questions refers to the empowering of the President to dissolve Parliament in other conditions than the currently stipulated ones and as a result of early parliamentary elections.
