The Communist parliamentarians voted, in the first reading, the bill on the public function and the status of the public servant, on Thursday, March 13, Info-Prim Neo reports. The draft has not been backed up by the opposition MPs who consider it was weakly prepared and demanded to return it to the Government. The bill regulates the status of the public servant and the legal relations between them and the public authorities. The goal of the legal act, according to authors, consists in realizing a stable, professional, impartial, transparent and efficient public service in society’s and the state’s interests. Fuss was made by the provisions under which the functionaries were entitled to strike, on condition they insured the continuity of the public authority’s work. Some MPs say this runs counter legal norms. Some opposition deputies have been dissatisfied with the provision under which only the person having only Moldovan citizenship can run for a public position. According Valeriu Cosarciuc from the Moldova Noastra Alliance, this runs counter the European Convention on citizenship, and the Moldovan Constitution. The Government’s representative, Oleg Rotaru, has explained that the citizenship of another state should not become an impediment for the public functionary to exert his job. According to the draft, the public servant shall speak “the Moldovan language.” Communist MP Dmitrii Todoroglo asked for special derogations for functionaries from regions as Gagauzia or Transnistria. Rotaru said the proposal could be discussed for the second reading. The bill stipulates a mixed system of entering the public service: internal selection (promotion, transfer etc.) and external (contest) selection. Thus, upon the decision of the head of the public authority, they will select people from within the public service in case of vacancy, and in case there is no adequate candidate, an open contest shall be organized. The compulsoriness of annually evaluating the professional performance of the functionary is also provided.