The decision by the Central Election Commission (CEC) to reject the application to register the initiative group for organizing a national legislative referendum on the abrogation of the law by which the mixed-member electoral system was introduced violates provisions of the Constitution and was evidently influenced politically, Stefan Gligor, programs director at the Center for Politics and Reforms and chairman of the initiative group, said in the talk show “Expertise hour” on Jurnal TV channel, IPN reports.

“The CEC does not have the power to interpret. Under the Constitution, the people exercise their sovereignty by two ways: by chosen bodies and by referendum. The CEC is in the people’s service. When 700 people come together and choose representatives and then say that they want to abrogate a law, the CEC does not have the power to interpret what these want to adopt. If it considers there is a legal gap, the Commission should request Parliament to clarify the issue or the Constitutional Court to give an interpretation,” stated Stefan Gligor.

According to Lilia Carasciuc, executive director of Transparency International Moldova, the CEC should be a neutral and objective institution that obeys the procedures. “What we saw was a very cynical attitude, as if in a court of law, and lack of wish to listen to the replies of the initiative group. The decision was prepared already and they thus didn’t need to listen to our answers,” said Lilia Carasciuc.

Political commentator Corneliu Ciurea said the CEC anticipated the consequences of a successful legislative referendum on the abrogation of the mixed electoral system. “The CEC said we have a legislative vacuum because the old law was already abrogated and, if the new law is abrogated, nothing will remain instead and a lot of other political problems will appear,” stated the analyst.