Referendum: Constitutional Court Approves Plebiscite

Green light for the referendum on Moldova’s accession to the European Union. The Constitutional Court gave a positive opinion to the initiative to amend the Constitution accordingly. Thus, the plebiscite will take place on 20 October simultaneously with the presidential election. The decision is final and cannot be appealed. “The initiative to revise the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova by referendum, signed by 46 members of Parliament and submitted by an authorized entity, in this respect complies with the provisions of Article 141, paragraph 1. Two: the initiative to revise the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova by referendum complies with the time limits for revision established by Article 63, paragraph 3 and Article 142, paragraph 3 of the Constitution. Three: the initiative to revise the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova by referendum does not exceed the material limits for the revision of the Constitution, established in Article 142, paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Constitution and can be submitted to the Parliament for consideration,” the CC decision says. Now the draft law on organizing the referendum and amending the Constitution must be considered by the Parliament and approved by MPs. Thus, a new separate chapter on integration with the EU may be included in the Constitution. At the beginning of April, PAS deputies submitted a petition to the Constitutional Court proposing to initiate a national constitutional referendum on Moldova’s accession to the EU. The question is “Are you for or against Moldova’s accession to the European Union? The request to organize the referendum was made by President Maia Sandu late last year. The Parliament also amended the Electoral Code so that the plebiscite could take place on the same day as the presidential election. This change provoked a lot of criticism from the opposition, as well as from political observers who said that the President wanted to secure a new mandate this way. On 14 December, the European Council approved the start of negotiations on Moldova’s accession to the EU. Moldova applied for EU membership in March 2022 and was granted candidate status in June the same year. The constitutional referendum on Moldova’s accession to the European Union was initiated by President Maia Sandu and will be held on the day of the presidential election. The purpose of the referendum and the amendment of the Constitution is to declare the aspiration for European integration, to determine the orientation towards the zone of European values and to affirm European integration as a strategic goal for Moldova.