Snap parliamentary elections in Moldova cannot be held earlier than next March given the constitutional and legal barriers. Moreover, it is impossible to merge the eventual snap parliamentary elections with the presidential elections of this autumn. This thing is perfectly understood by the representatives of the power and the opposition. Both of the sides think about strategies for winning the office of President and then, when they enter the elections campaign, for winning the snap parliamentary elections, expert Igor Boțan stated in a public debate entitled “Snap parliamentary elections and/or replacement of Government: probability, risks, benefits” that was organized by IPN News Agency.
Igor Boțan, the standing expert of IPN’s project, said Moldova now has the tenth legislature, which means that ten legislative bodies have been elected since the adoption of the declarations of Sovereignty and Independence. Four compositions of Parliament were elected in snap elections. The first snap elections were held in February 1994, when Parliament dissolved itself. After the adoption of the Constitution in 1994, three rounds of snap parliamentary elections were held and they all were consequences of the legislature’s incapacity to choose the Head of State. After the Constitutional Court decision of 2016, by which the election of the President by the people was restored, this key reason that led to snap elections no longer existed.
According to the expert, together with this decision, snap parliamentary elections can be declared in two situations. The first situation is when Parliament, during three months, does not adopt laws and when this incapacity period expires, the Head of State dissolves Parliament and the Constitutional Court should verify the circumstances that justify the dissolution decision. Another situation is the resignation or removal of the Government and the Parliament’s incapacity to appoint a Government during 45 days of the first request and after at least two requests. Until next March, snap parliamentary elections cannot take place and the current Parliament will thus exist for at least one more year, despite all its problems, given that the legislative body cannot be dissolved during the last half a year of the President’s term in office.
Igor Boțan said it’s normal for the Democrat Party to want snap parliamentary elections as this party needs stability in Parliament to be able to strengthen its positions following the split inside it. For the PDM, it is vital that the eventual snap parliamentary elections take place only in circumstances favorable for it. The opposition’s desire to have snap parliamentary elections derives from the wish to have a reconfiguration of Parliament, especially after the dismemberment of the ACUM Bloc whose effects where seen in the new elections in Hâncești constituency. There, the seat was won by the Party of Socialists’ candidate owing to the well-planned game of the PSRM and the Head of State. The President’s visits to three localities of that constituency also contributed to the victory of the PSRM. Now Igor Dodon also started to visit localities.
The expert considers the President will be most probably elected by two rounds, in the middle of November. Later, the Central Election Commission will need time to total the results of the presidential elections. Afterward, the Constitutional Curt will examine all the received documents. This way, the President will most probably be invested at the end of December. And the victoriously elected President will want to induce snap elections. “The President’s victory will be a kind of bargain for a victory in the eventual snap parliamentary elections,” he stated.
The debate “Snap parliamentary elections and/or replacement of Government: probability, risks, benefits” was the 134th installment of the series of debates “Developing political culture through public debates” that are supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
