A number of civil society organizations propose initiating and holding a national referendum, before the parliamentary elections of 2018, on the annulment of the law by which changes were made to the Election Code to introduce the mixed-member electoral system. Representatives of the NGOs, in a news conference at IPN on November 21, said that within a month they will form an initiative group that they will register with the Central Election Commission. After this is registered, signatures will start to be collected in support of the referendum.
Stefan Gligor, programs director at the Center for Politics and Reforms, said the idea of the referendum is an apolitical and civilian initiative. The Republic of Moldova now copes with a difficult situation where a political party that polled slightly over 15% of the vote in the parliamentary elections of 2014, by blackmail and corruption formed a parliamentary majority through which it controls the whole country. “The referendum is the only legal instrument that enables the citizens, when Parliament betrays their vote, to annul the abuses committed by the legislative body,” stated Stefan Gligor.
“WatchDog” expert Valeriu Pasa said the mixed electoral system is an instrument by which the current government, represented by the Democratic Party, aims to keep power. If the mixed electoral system is not annulled before the parliamentary elections of 2018, the Republic of Moldova will head for dictatorship. “This Parliament does not represent the results of the elections of 2014. This majority that voted the mixed system is not legitimate. That’s why the citizens should pronounce,” stated Valeriu Pasa.
According to Arcadie Barbarosie, executive director of the Institute for Public Policy, when a Parliament that does not represent the votes of the citizens adopts a law that is not in the interests of the people, the citizens have the constitutional right to seek the annulment of this law.
Transparency International Moldova president Lilia Carasciuc reminded that when the law on the introduction of the mixed-member electoral system was adopted, the opinions of the Venice Commission, the development partners and civil society organization were neglected. “Parliament should be a body that represents the votes cast in elections. What we have today and what we will have if this system is kept is only one party,” stated Lilia Carasciuc.
Institute for Public Policy programs director Oazu Nantoi said that through the agency of the referendum society should say if they want to be endlessly manipulated and have a “pseudo-Parliament”.
The initiators of the referendum call on all the citizens, public organizations and political parties to become involved in the formation of the initiative group that will have to collect at least 200,000 signatures in favor of holding the plebiscite.
