Communist majority adopts law imposing working restrictions on dual citizenship holders

Parliament today signed the bill banning dual citizenship holders from certain public offices into law. The bill was endorsed by the Communist majority and largely criticised by the Opposition. The bill remained unchanged from the version proposed last week when the Communist MPs requested to postpone its passage. Under the law, holders of dual citizenship will not be able to hold the following posts: President of Moldova, member of the Government, Member of Parliament, district chairman, mayor, police officer, member of the Central Election Commission, of the Court of Accounts, judge, including Constitutional Judge, member of the Board of the National Bank, ombudsman, customs officer, and other. The law says that the holders of dual citizenship occupying by appointment one of the posts mentioned by the law shall be deemed incompatible with the respective office only if they do not produce evidence that they have initiated, in a six-month period, procedures for relinquishing the citizenship of a foreign state. Elected officials shall be deemed incompatible only if they have taken office after the entry in effect of the law. In addition, the candidates for elective offices holding dual citizenship shall prove intent to relinquish the second citizenship. The Opposition MPs brought arguments against the bill, saying that if adopted, the law may produce social unrest and divide the society into camps even more, as it is in fact targeting the holders of Romanian citizenship. Furthermore, the Opposition MPs argued, it may arouse problems in managing the Transnistrian dispute. 54 Communist MPs voted for the bill, 15 MPs from opposition voted against, while Moldova Noastra Alliance’s group left the sitting hall in protest. The law is yet to be promulgated through presidential decree.