The president of the NGO "Lumea Liberă" Artur Croitoru considers that the referendum of October 20 was doomed to failure from the start and that it turned out to be a failed adventure. From the beginning, the idea was controversial and met with skepticism, with many considering it a political maneuver, Artur Croitor told a news conference hosted by IPN.
According to Croitor, this approach was an adventure, an attempt to mask the inconclusive results of the current administration, and the referendum was doomed to failure from the start, being perceived as an attempt to impose unviable changes.
He noted that the campaign was marred by accusations of breaches of the law, and critics pointed out that particular actions distorted the democratic process. Among the irregularities is the fact that Maia Sandu did not take a leave of absence during the campaign, which gave her an unfair advantage over other contenders. Moreover, the authorities in Chisinau limited the access of Moldovan citizens in Russia to only two polling stations, compared to a more generous number in Europe, which raised suspicions of discrimination.
In this referendum, the wording drew attention to constitutional amendment proposals that presumably introduced an official ideology into the text of the Constitution, contrary to Article 5 of the Basic Law of Moldova, which prohibits the establishment of an official ideology, Croitor said. "This is a form of renunciation of the state's sovereignty in favor of the decisions of Brussels, and Moldova risks ceding control over its own legislation in favor of binding acts issued by the European Union."
The result of the referendum confirmed the predictions: 750,000 citizens voted "for", well below the threshold of 1,648,553 votes needed. According to Article 142 of the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova and according to the Electoral Code, for the amendments to be validated, they should have been supported by the absolute majority of Moldovan citizens put on the voter rolls, believes the jurist.
Now, the referendum file is in the hands of the Constitutional Court, which must decide whether to validate the result. However, given that the proposed changes did not meet the required number of votes, the chances of it being approved are small, said Andrei Croitor. According to the supreme law, any constitutional amendment requires the adoption of a law with a qualified majority of two-thirds in Parliament, but the ruling PAS party now has 61 of the 67 votes needed to adopt such changes.
Thus, the future of these proposals is uncertain, Croitor pointed out. In his opinion, the opponents of the bill consider it is unlikely that this initiative will obtain the necessary political support, especially in the context of the decline in the popularity of the PAS and the upcoming parliamentary elections. At the same time, the President of the country will have to carefully analyze the policy in relation to the European Union as the entire referendum process rather demonstrated a lack of preparation and respect for Moldovan legislation.
This controversial situation generated discussions about the need for a prudent and transparent approach to initiatives of this magnitude. "We are at a turning point and the future decisions will reflect not only the current political view, but also the fundamental values of Moldova," concluded the leader of the NGO Lumea Liberă”. ("Free World"), stressing the importance of involving the citizens in all the stages of major decision-making.
Artur Croitor is an entrepreneur and president of the Small and Medium Business Association "Lumea Liberă". He ran independently in the 2016 presidential election and in the 2019 parliamentary elections.
Note: IPN Agency offers the right of reply to persons who consider that they were affected by the news articles produced based on the statements of the organizers of this press conference, including by facilitating the organization of another press conference under similar conditions.
