Moldova’s Parliament consists of 101 MPs – 50 elected in the national constituency based on the proportional representation system and 51 elected in single-member constituencies based on the majority vote, by one in each constituency. When the elections are confirmed and at least 2/3 of the seats of MP are validated, the President of the Republic of Moldova convokes Parliament in a special constitution session, says the Code of Parliamentary Rules and Procedures that was given a first reading by MPs on November 22, IPN reports.
The Code regulates the method of organizing and functioning of Parliament, the legal relations between Parliament and other authorities and defines the status of MP and parliamentary functionary. Under the draft code, the oath taken by the MPs will also include a variant without a religious formulation. Thus, the oath will end with: “God help me in this!” or “I swear on my honor and conscience”. Socialist MP Vasile Bolea said the oath should include the MP’s promise not to switch from one group to another so as to meet the expectations of the people who voted for them.
The constitution meeting of the new Parliament is chaired by the Speaker of the previous legislature if this continues to serve as an MP. Otherwise, the sitting is chaired by the eldest MP until the Speaker is elected. The parliamentary groups will consist of at least six MPs, not five as now. The head of the Democratic group Tudor Deliu commented that this is a violation as a party can enter the legislature with 6% of the vote and this is 3-4 seats of MP. Democratic MP Sergiu Sârbu, who presented the bill, said if so, parliamentary groups could be created of two-five MPs.
The Code provides the MPs who do not from part of a parliamentary group are considered independent MPs. If the MPs want to form a parliamentary group after a period of ten days of the constitution of the new Parliament, they can do it only when the next ordinary session of the legislature starts. The MP who left the group or was excluded from the group can form part of another gore only in six months and in the period this is considered an independent MP.
The parliamentary majority is considered the group, alliance/coalition of groups, parliamentary groups and unaffiliated MPs announced by declaration that consists of over half of the elected MPs.
Romanian is the working language in Parliament and the Parliament’s acts are formulated in the same language and are translated and published in the conditions specified by the law on normative documents.
The President of Moldova is replaced by the Speaker of Parliament or the Prime Minister in case of temporary inability to hold office in connection with leave, private visits abroad or disease, without being suspended, until this returns to office.
The Parliament’s Day is celebrated on May 23.
