AEI initiates referendum to amend Constitution

A referendum to amend the Constitution of Moldova and simplify the procedure for electing the President will be held not later than April, the leaders of the AEI said in a press briefing on January 15, Info-Prim Neo reports. The leader of the PLDM Vlad Filat said that on January 16 constitutional experts will start drafting a bill for modifying the Constitution. “After the referendum is validated, the head of state will be elected within a month,” he stated. The Democratic leader Marian Lupu said the constitutional referendum is the only way out in the present situation. “Nine attempts to elect the head of state had taken place since 2000. Only two of them were successful, in 2001 and 2005,” said Marian Lupu. According to the Liberal Party chairman Mihai Ghimpu, the only solution in the present conditions is to adjust the Constitution to the European standards. “It is the best solution. We want to overcome the political crisis,” he said. Presidential elections were to take place in Parliament on January 15, but the Constitutional Court declared the December 16 elections unconstitutional and thus they were cancelled.