If elections are validated, Parliament should hold its first sitting by August 29

The Constitutional Court will examine the Central Election Commission’s report on the results of the July 29 early legislative elections at a plenary meeting on August 14. If the elections and the seats of MP are validated, the president of Moldova will have to convene the eighteenth legislature for the first sitting by August 29, independent expert Ion Creanga has told Info-Prim Neo. Ion Creanga said that the first meeting of the legislative body should take place within 30 days of the election day, i.e. not later than August 29. The first sitting is chaired by the oldest MP. It starts with the hoisting of the flag and the singing of the anthem. Afterward, the chair invites to the rostrum the president of the Constitutional Court, who presents the report on the election outcome and the validation of the seats of MP. Immediately after the constitution of the Parliament, if the MPs agree, there are formed the parliamentary groups. If a consensus is not reached, the first meeting is closed and there is given 10 days to form the groups. The parliamentary groups can consist of at least 5 MPs elected under party lists or of independent MPs. When the parliamentary groups are set up, one group or a coalition of groups announces the creation of the parliamentary majority, while the other groups form the Opposition. After the groups are created, there is appointed the administration of the Parliament and the working bodies. The Standing Bureau and the commissions are set up according to the proportional representativeness of the groups in the Parliament. A special commission is created to elect the Speaker of Parliament. A parliamentary group can propose one candidate. The Speaker is elected by the vote of at least 51 MPs. After the Parliament’s administrating is elected and the working bodies appointed, there is elected the head of state. The Parliament sets the election day and creates a special commission that organizes the elections and examines the candidates. The commission is formed taking into account the proportional representativeness of the groups in the Parliament. Usually, the elections are organized during about 30 days. Thus, the head of state could be elected in the second half of October. Any person that is older than 40, has lived for at least ten years in Moldova, has Moldovan nationality and knows the official language can apply for the post of president of Moldova. The candidate must be supported by at least 15 MPs. One MP can back only one candidate. In the voting, the MPs must choose between at least two candidates. The written agreement of the candidate is also necessary. The head of state is elected by secret vote by minimum 61 votes. If no candidate obtains the necessary number of votes, the elections are rerun. The same candidates or new candidates are put forward for rerun elections. The legislature can be dissolved only once in a year. If the head of state is not elected in the first or the second round of voting this year, we could have early legislative elections in February 2010, Ion Creanga said. Five parties passed the election threshold of 5% in the July 29 elections. The PCRM won 48 seats, the PLDM – 18, the PL – 15, the PDM – 13, while the AMN – 7. The last four parties formed a government coalition called the Alliance for European Integration and hold 53 seats together. To elect the head of state, the coalition needs eight more votes.