Article 78 must be modified sooner or later, political analyst

Political analyst Vitali Catana considers Article 78 of the Constitution will have to be amended sooner or later as there is a risk that the situation in Parliament will repeat after new elections. Vitali Catana has told Info-Prim Neo that the election of the head of state by the vote of three fifth of MPs is not opportune from political viewpoint. “The principle of the constitutional right and the element of opportunity are absent from this article. The absence of these two essential elements cannot induce the adoption or a law or its preservation,” said the analyst. Vitali Catana believes the President of Moldova should be elected by the vote of 51 lawmakers or directly by the people. Otherwise, elections would take place every year. If the ruling alliance does not reach a compromise with the PCRM, a solution may be the holding of a referendum to amend Article 78 of the Constitution, but its results must be obligatorily validated, Vitali Catana said. The head of state is currently elected by the vote of 61 MPs. The ruling alliance is two votes short.