Presidency of the Republic of Moldova
President Igor Dodon has said that the Democratic Party’s (PDM) initiative on the switch to the single-member district electoral system for the parliamentary polls “is not surprising, yet, it is unacceptable”
“We have been knowing about the Democrats’ wish to impose such an electoral system for a long time. Yet, I say you with every responsibility that they will remain only with this wish. The single-member district electoral system will not be implemented. This initiative is a provocation against the state’s democratic bases, just as they have been shaped since the Independence so far,” the president said.
Also, Igor Dodon stressed that, in his capacity of the state’s president, he would categorically oppose this undemocratic reform, which destroys the party system from Moldova. He voiced confidence that the parliamentary faction of the Party of Socialists (PSRM) would be against this draft law, if submitted to parliament. At the same time, Igor Dodon said that he relied also on the support of other parliamentary and extra-parliamentary parties to this end.
According to the head of state, the electoral system should have a more efficient mechanism of selecting the lawmakers and forming the political establishment, but not just how PDM proposes this, “by destroying the parties and manipulating the elections.”
In this respect, Igor Dodon said that, in the long run, essential, even necessary modifications should be undertaken, but without changing the basis of the present electoral system.
“First of all, we must give Diaspora right to be more present in electoral processes, by opening more polling stations abroad, through participation of people from the Diaspora in the electoral lists from Moldova. There are hundreds of thousands of citizens who are limited in their right to vote, to more firmly express their political stance in Russia alone. The things are almost the same in Europe as well. Besides, we should involve more our citizens from the left bank of Dniester. We should open polling stations in Transnistria, let the residents living there run for seats in Moldova’s parliament. Our parliament cannot be complete in terms of representation without the involvement of the citizens from Transnistria. And if we want to reunify the country, then we should be more open both politically and electorally,” the head of state noted.
Another important amendment, proposed by Igor Dodon, is the cutting of the number of MPs from 101 to 71.
“In my discussions with citizens, I received only positive reactions to this proposal of mine. I am sure that time is ripe to revise the numerical composition of the parliament. There are too many lawmakers for such a small and demographically impoverished country,” the president said.
In this context, Igor Dodon emphasized that PDM’s initiative, launched by Democrats’ leader Vlad Plahotniuc today, was unacceptable, stressing that the electoral system must be reformed, but not just as the Democrats suggest this, by ways of changing its bases.
