Representatives of the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (PLDM) accuse the government of blocking the activity of the opposition. In a news conference at IPN, the leader of the PLDM Tudor Deliu said the parliamentary majority makes use of different stratagems to avoid including bills proposed by the Lib-Dems in the agenda of the Parliament’s sittings. The Liberal-Democratic MPs’ access to the legislature’s rostrum is hampered and they are not allowed to pronounce on particular issues related to the implementation of the Association Agreement.
Tudor Deliu described the current government’s acts as an attempt to annihilate the opposition. During the last few years, the government didn’t allow including a number of bills suggested by the Lib-Dems in the agenda. The last example is the bill to amend Article 13 of the Constitution and introduce the phrase “Romanian language” in it. Among the PLDM’s bills ignored by the parliamentary majority were also the Magnitsky Law that refers to the special rights of the voters from the diaspora, the law on independent candidates in single-member constitutions and the voting in town rounds, the initiatives on the restraining orders in case of domestic violence and the bill to declare March 27 the Day of Bessarabia’s Union with Romania.
According to Tudor Deliu, the current mixed voting system contains a number of provisions that encroach upon the right to vote of the citizens from the diaspora. “The citizens from abroad are discriminated because they do not want to be represented in Parliament. The law provides that a constituency is formed for 50,000-60,000 inhabitants. Officially, there are over 8000,000 Moldovan citizens aboard at present and these were allotted only three constituencies. They proposed amendments to the Election Code that would have enabled to create more constituencies, depending on the voter turnout at the presidential elections.
Liberal-Democratic MP Iurie Țap said the rights of the opposition in Parliament are limited. “During three years, in six parliamentary sessions, the Government has never represented reports on its activity. Also, during the past two years the Prosecutor General’s Office hasn’t present a report on its activity,” he stated, noting democracy in Moldova is now vitiated and even the legislative body here breaks the law. The MP also said a campaign to manipulate public opinion has been conducted in Moldova during the past few years.
Ion Terguță, vice president of the PLDM, said the current electoral system endangers democracy. “By rejecting the PLDM’s bills concerning the amendment of the Election Code, the current government does nothing but vitiate from the start the upcoming parliamentary elections and its results. He also said that at least 18 constituencies should be formed for the diaspora. As to the annulment of the early mayoral elections in Chisinau, Ion Terguță said this was done intentionally so as to make the citizens have repulsion towards the elections and don’t take part in them. He called on the citizens to take part in the voting as the boycotting of elections advantages the Democrats.
