The Constitutional Court (CC) on October 31 pronounced on the bill to amend Article 13 of the Constitution, by which the phrase “Moldovan language” is replaced with “Romanian language” following a request made by a group of MPs. The Court approved of the bill, IPN reports.
After the judgment was passed, the leader of the Liberal-Democratic parliamentary group Tudor Deliu told the press that a historical truth was restored by today’s decision. Now the bill to amend the Constitution can be submitted to Parliament for adoption and can be subject to parliamentary procedures without waiting for the six months stipulated in the regulations on the amendment of the Constitution. “Since the Constitution was adopted in 1994, the language spoken by the citizens of the Republic of Moldova has been intensely discussed. The citizens of the Republic of Moldova speak the Romanian language,” stated Tudor Deliu. He noted that discussions will all the groups will be held on the bill after this is registered in Parliament.
The leader of the group of the European People’s Party of Moldova Valeriu Giletski welcomed the Court’s decision, saying this gives the go ahead to amend Article 13. “Such an appraisal was expected. The group of the PPEM, which signed the initiative in corpore, is ready to vote it in Parliament,” he stated.
President Igor Dodon reacted to the CC’s judgment. A press release of the presidential press service says the President reminds that the Moldovan language in the country’s Constitution, in the population census data, in opinions polls and in medieval archives is indicated as the historical language of the Moldovan people and this language is the key element of the identity and cultural matrix of the Moldovans. “The absolute majority of the native population of the Republic of Moldova consider that they speak the Moldovan language. If someone, no matter from what place, has doubts about this, we can organize a referendum to ask the people what name they prefer: Romanian or Moldovan,” said President Igor Dodon.
He noted that some of the politicians of the right and a part of the members of the Constitutional Court behave like mercenaries and their goal is to adjust the supreme law to the unionist project and to liquidate the Moldovan identity. The actions and statements of the CC members will be subject to a thorough judicial analysis when the government is changed, after the parliamentary elections, so as to determine the abuses committed against the Constitution and the national interests of the sovereign Moldovan state.
The initiative to amend Article 13 of the Constitution was submitted by the Liberal-Democratic parliamentary group and was signed by the MPs of the Liberal Party, the European People’s Party of Moldova, the Democratic Party and by the unaffiliated MPs.
