Prime Ministers will have lifelong diplomatic passport

The Prime Ministers will keep their right to diplomatic passports even after they leave office, according to amendments to the Law on ID papers in the national passport system, proposed by the Liberal-Democratic group and approved by the Government, Info-Prim Neo reports. The current law allows only former Presidents and Speakers to keep their diplomatic passports. The amendments approved by the Government also offer a diplomatic passport to the secretary general of the Moldovan President’s Apparatus and a business passport to the deputy secretary. The need to provide the latter two categories of officials with diplomatic or business passports is explained by the fact that these are civil servants with high rank positions. Currently, 31 categories of officials have the right to diplomatic passports and 27 to work passports. The diplomatic passport is issued for entering and leaving Moldova in order to accomplish diplomatic or consular missions and other official functions abroad in the interest of the state.