The Constitution of the Republic of Moldova cannot be amended by referendum, president of the Constitutional Court Alexandru Tanase said in the talk show “Friday with Anatolie Golea” on RTR Moldova channel, quoted by IPN.
Tanase referred to the discussions about the amendment of the constitutional article that specifies the procedure for electing the head of state. “There is not enough time for initiating a referendum for amending the Constitution as the tenure of the President expires in less than six months. The Venice Commission also has a reserved attitude to the referendum as a method of modifying the Constitution,” he stated.
The president of the Constitutional Court said he is for the election of the head of state by the people. “The arguments between the head of state and the lawmakers led to the adoption of the parliamentary model of government. Our people, who were used to the Soviet system of government, didn’t approve of these quarrels. But confrontations between the President and the legislature are something normal in a democracy. If the head of state had argued with the MPs, the billion wouldn’t have been probably stolen. All the polls show that most of the people want to themselves elect the President. The low voter turnout in the referendum of 2010 was due to the then great influence of the Party of Communists, which called on the people not to take part. Only in 2001 could the head of state be elected normally by Parliament,” stated Tanase.
Alexandru Tanase said he welcomes the protests mounted in the center of Chisinau, but noted that for changes to take place, the electoral system should be first modified. “It’s good that they protest, but they should first make sure that the future elections will bring about the change. I’m sure that the results of the November 2014 elections do not represent the entire option of the voters,” he said.
