Mihai Ghimpu: If present Constitution remains in force, I will dissolve Parliament

Acting President Mihai Ghimpu said he sees nothing new in the Venice Commission's recommendations, which say that a constitutional reform is needed in Moldova in order to prevent political stalemates and that the frequent dissolutions of Parliament create obstacles for political negotiations, Info-Prim Neo reports. “There is nothing new in these general recommendations. I always said that if the present Constitution remains in force, I will dissolve the Parliament. We do not want to confront Europe. We just follow the democratic, Constitutional path as we want a European future for Moldova,” Mihai Ghimpu said after the consultations held by the leaders of the Alliance for European Integration on March 17 in the evening. The leaders decided to continue the consultations on the modification of the Constitution and the organization of a referendum. After the meeting that lasted for more than an hour, Mihai Ghimpu told the reporters that the Alliance is now discussing two issues: the new Constitution and the referendum, and the recommendations of the Venice Commission. According to him, the government coalition has not yet reached a final decision and the consultations will go on the next months, when European officials will come to Chisinau. Ghimpu said that the new President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Mevlüt Çavusoglu will be in Chisinau during March 23-25, while the rapporteurs for Moldova of the PACE Monitoring Commission Josette Durrieu and Egidius Vareikis will be in Moldova on a fact-finding visit early in April. Asked if the Alliance will continue to promote the idea of a referendum, Mihai Ghimpu said after a pause that a problem arouse, but they will find a solution. “If the constitutional crisis persists, the political and economic crisis will deepen. New early elections will be a catastrophe for Moldova. We must make sure that the people receive the pensions and salaries at the expected time and revitalize the economy,” the Speaker said. Mihai Ghimpu also said that the new Constitution has been drafted. The constitutional reform commissions to discuss it in detail. According to Ghimpu, the new draft Constitution will be discussed inside the Alliance and will be then submitted to the Venice Commission if a consensus is reached.