Moldova to hold referendum September 5 or 12

The announced constitutional referendum where the Moldovans will be asked to decide on the way of electing the country's president will take place either on September 5 or a week later, on September 12. Ion Plesca, the head of the constitutional amendment commission, has told Info-Prim Neo the ruling Alliance for European Integration (AEI) shall decide between these two dates. Ion Plesca has added that AEI is also to determine the date when the referendum papers will be submitted to the Constitutional Court for expertize, hinting that it could happen by the end of the week. Within 10 days from the submission, the Constitutional Court shall issue a legal brief, after which Parliament will determine the date of the referendum. In the recently amended Election Code, the required turnout in referenda has been lowered from three-fifths to one-third of the registered voters.