Moldova's dilemma: How to elect the president
This upcoming Friday, the Moldovan Parliament will convene to decide about holding or not holding an election of President of Moldova, though initially the day of October 23 was set as the date of the long-waited election. Moldova's Acting President, Parliament Chairman Mihai Ghimpu reaffirmed the forum's Friday meeting will be held.
Chairman of the parliamentary ad hoc electoral commission Ion Plesca told journalists that on Friday the commission will present to the legislature a report on the situation around the election question.
He said, "The problem is as follows: the deadline for accepting applications from potential presidential candidate has expired, but we have registered only one candidate. The commission members' opinions have split. Some are maintaining the election may well be held without an alternative candidate, while other are claiming the opposite. The existing legislation does not provide for a definite answer, so dual interpretations are possible, and have already been made".
In his words, the commission will thoroughly consider the problem and present comprehensive information to parliament.
Plesca said, "The Parliament will then decide concerning holding the election on October 23 or postponing the event and, instead, addressing to the Constitutional Court for an explanation. In case no election takes place on Friday, it will be key to decide if the failure will be accounted as an electoral attempt [of the two such possible electoral attempts envisaged by law] or not accounted. If not, will it mean that the entire electoral procedure begins from anew and the Parliament again has 2 attempts to elect president?"
He stressed the decision must be taken by the Parliament, "and, may be, by the Constitutional Court".
The pro-Western leaning coalition, the Alliance for European Integration, nominated Marian Lupu, chairman of the Democratic Party, for the post of Moldova's president.
The currently oppositional Moldovan Communist Party (MCP) faction keeps on maintaining the presidential election just may not be held in the absence of an alternative candidate.
Communist MP Vladimir Turcan stated in parliament today, "The election may not take place with only one candidate because in such case it will be an appointment of president, not an election. The Communist Party has already given examples when it put forward alternative candidates thrice - in 2001, 2005, and in 2009. No matter how many ballots they received, the chief thing was that they were present".
In his opinion, the parliamentary majority is certainly eligible to apply to the Constitutional Court, "but applicants should bear in mind that in such case the first attempt to elect head of state will be considered as a used attempt. The Moldovan legislation does not has a notion of a 'postponement of a presidential election'. Everything what is taking place last days are but an organizational, political and juridical problem being faced by the majority Alliance for European Integration. Accordingly, the Alliance deputies bear the entire responsibility for this".
Vladimir Turcan refrained from answering concretely if he personally can vote for the only registered candidate - Democratic Party Chairman Marian Lupu, and only replied evasively, "I talk daily to my colleagues, including to the ones from the Alliance for European Integration".
Several days ago, information appeared in the press that Vladimir Turcan, who is not a MCP member and who is known to have differences with MCP leader Vladimir Voronin, wrote a letter to the MCP parliamentary faction recommending it to take part in the October 23 election. The Communists immediately refuted the fact of the existence of such letter. And one of the faction's celebrities, former presidential adviser Mark Tkachuk stated last Friday, "I don't believe Vladimir Turcan can vote for Marian Lupu".
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