Civil society leaders suggest government should not avoid early elections, UPDATE

A number of civil society leaders in Moldova, members of the National Participation Council (NPC), a consulting body for the Government, support the idea of amending the Constitution; nevertheless they say that snap parliamentary elections cannot be avoided. This opinion was expressed at a meeting with Prime Minister Vlad Filat on Tuesday, March 16, Info-Prim Neo reports. Vlad Filat said that the modification of the Constitution is needed in order to avoid contradictions and confusions in the future. “The decision to amend the Constitution doesn't stem from the fear of early election, as some imply. The current government has launched a number of important projects, which will eventually yield results, but for that we need political stability”, said the premier. Contacted by Info-Prim Neo, Sorin Mereacre, the chairman of the NPC and also the executive director of the Eurasia Foundation in Moldova, says that the fundamental law needs to be modified, but not until June 16. “The Constitution should be modified in a referendum, then it will have more legitimacy. Time is needed so that the people can express its will on a new version of the Constitution, and for the government to understand what the people need”, said Sorin Mereacre. According to him, early parliamentary elections must be held in Moldova, and for that Parliament must be dissolved, as the law prescribes. Sergiu Ostaf, the director of the Human Rights Resource Center (CReDO), also thinks early elections must be held, without too much discussion. At the same time, he thinks that in order to avoid frequent dissolution of parliament in the future the number of deputies required to elect a president should be progressively lowered with each round until a simple majority can produce a winner. Commenting on the recommendations of the Venice Commission, Ostaf says that Moldova would make a mistake if it neglects the advice of the best European experts in the field. “In fact, the recommendations of the Venice Commission should be mandatory for Moldova as a member state of the Council of Europe”. Arcadie Barbarosie, the director of the Public Policy Institute, says the issue concerning the constitutional amendments and that of the early elections should be regarded separately. The adoption of a new fundamental law shouldn't divide the society. Concerning the recommendations of the Venice Commission, Barbarosie said that Moldova is not in a position to neglect them. “If they omit those recommendations, the European partners could give us a frown. We invited them to Chisinau, asked their opinion, so their recommendations should now be mandatory for us”, said Barbarosie. “The absence of statements from the European ambassadors is very suggestive. The Alliance for European Integration should think very carefully about what it is going to do”, Barbarosie added. The Venice Commission said in a recent brief that “in the light of the circumstances in Moldova, the Venice Commission is of the opinion that a constitutional reform is needed in order to prevent political stalemates from happening again in Moldova in the future. Frequent dissolutions of Parliament that follow one another at short intervals of only a few months each also create obstacles for political negotiations that are necessary for a successful constitutional reform”. The Venice Commission also suggested that the reform should be implemented in accordance with the procedures stipulated in the Constitution (that is the modifications should be adopted in Parliament, not by referendum e.n.).