President Voronin’s term in office expires on April 7

The term in office of Moldova’s President Vladimir Voronin expires on April 7. Under the law, the term is extended until a new president is appointed. The president is elected by the vote of three fifth of the total number of MPs or by the vote of 61 MPs, jurist Ion Creanga, the electoral expert of the League for the Defense of Human Rights (LADOM) as part of the Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections – Coalition 2009, has told Info-Prim Neo. Within 48 hours after adding up the election results, the Central Election Commission (CEC) presents the list of MPs and of the substitute candidates to the Constitutional Court (CC). Within 10 days after receiving the documents from the CEC, but not before the courts make definitive decisions on possible contestations filed by the election runners, the CC validates or invalidates the elections by a notice. Simultaneously, the CC validates the mandates of the elected MPs and confirms the lists of substitute candidates. If the elections are declared legal, the CEC issues permits to the elected MPs. According to Ion Creanga, after the mandate of MP of Vladimir Voronin is validated, he will be simultaneously MP and president. He can hold the two posts for a month. Within 30 days of the validation of the elections, the incumbent president is to convoke the new Parliament for the first meeting by presidential decree. The formation of the legislature starts from that moment. There will be constituted the working bodies: the parliamentary groups, the parliamentary commissions, etc. The new Parliament elects the new president of Moldova. It makes a decision announcing the date of presidential elections. The decision is made public 30 days before the elections. The candidate for presidency is fielded within 15 days. There are adopted regulations concerning the holding of the elections and set up an election commission. Any person that is older than 40, lived for at least 10 years in Moldova, knows the official language and holds the Moldovan nationality can run for president. The candidate must be supported by 15 MPs. An MP can back only one candidate. So, at most six MPs can run in elections. The president is elected by the MPs secretly, by the vote of three fifth of the elected MPs. The election results approved by the Parliament are submitted to the Constitutional Court for validation. After the results are validated, the president is installed at a festive sitting of the Parliament. The decision of the Constitutional Court is read and the president swears an oath. There is held an official reception. The new president goes to the Presidential Office, where he is met by the old president. If no candidate obtains the necessary number of votes, there is held the second round of voting for the two candidates that won most of the votes in the first round. If the president is not elected during the second round, there are held rerun elections. If the president is not elected after rerun elections, the incumbent president dissolves the Parliament and fixes the date of new elections. On April 4, 2005, President Vladimir Voronin, who is also the leader of the PCRM, was elected to the post during the first round of voting by 75 votes for – by 14 votes more than the minimum required. The MPs of the PCRM, the Christian Democratic People’s Party (PPCD), the Democratic Party (PDM) and three MPs of the Social Liberal Party (PSL) headed by Oleg Serebrian, who left the Democratic Moldova Block (BMD) under whose list they entered the Parliament, voted for Vladimir Voronin. Only the MPs of the group headed by Serafim Urecheanu did not take part in elections. This group remained with 23 MPs, but its name was changed from the BMD into the AMN – the Moldova Noastra Alliance. On April 7, 2005, Vladimir Voronin was invested as president for the second four-year term at a solemn joint meeting of the Parliament of Moldova and the Constitutional Court held at the Palace of the Republic.