European Forum

Moldovans to decide on country’s future in presidential referendum

This Sunday (5 September) Moldovan citizens will go to the polls to decide whether they are in favour of the election of their president by popular vote. Currently, the head of the former Soviet republic is elected by the parliament, a procedure which usually involves a long series of backstage negotiations between the parties represented in the legislature.

Mihai Ghimpu of the Liberal Party and Moldova's interim President and Speaker of the Parliament, took over as caretaker head of state exactly one year ago, after the resignation of Communist leader Vladimir Voronin. Since then, Moldova has been ruled by an alliance of four pro-Western parties – the Alliance for European Integration (AEI). The AEI is banking on a positive outcome to the referendum, while Voronin's Communist opposition would like to maintain the status quo and continue to have elected lawmakers choose the president. If the people decide to change the system the current parliament would be dissolved as well. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will monitor the vote.

Communists to boycott vote
In order to have the president elected directly by the population, article 78 of the Moldovan Constitution would have to be modified. In an effort to block this, the Communists filed a complaint with the Venice Commission, the Council of Europe's advisory body on constitutional law. The Commission refused to take sides in the dispute. As the Venice Commission did not support the Communists, they have announced to boycott the referendum, in a bid to have it annulled on low turnout grounds. The announcement triggered an amused response from interim president Ghimpu, who remarked he would then, by law, retain his current function as Head of State.

But even if the referendum results in a “Yes”, the situation would not be easy, also for the ruling coalition. Presidential elections would take place in November, and the Alliance would have to present a joint candidate. This person has yet to be found. The main rivals inside the Alliance are Prime Minister Vlad Filat, leader of the Liberal Democrat Party, and Marian Lupu, leader of the Democratic Party (DPM).

The Kremlin is eager to have a pro-Russian president in Chisinau, and is therefore silently encouraging the formation of a coalition between Lupu's DPM, which would have to leave the AEI, and Voronin's Communist Party.

Sources: WAZ EU; Moldova Azi; Google images (picture)