Code of rules and procedures to regulate Moldovan parliament's work

Chisinau, 22 November /MOLDPRES/ - The parliament’s work will be regulated by a code of parliamentary rules and procedures. The document was passed in the first reading with the votes of 52 MPs today.
The draft contains novelties as to the procedure of the parliament’s setting up, organization of parliamentary factions and groups, creation of the parliamentary majority, opposition, etc. The taking oath by lawmakers is established in the beginning of the legislative period. Also, the parliament’s legislative schedule and working schedule according to sessions are regulated; the quorum, status of the parliament speaker and the procedure of making amendments are defined.
The document also sees regulations on the legislative procedure of initiating the declaration of the state of emergency, siege or war. Separate chapters deal with the parliament’s relations with the government, public authorities in the justice sector, cooperation between the parliament and the civil society, parliamentary control, parliamentary hearings and the parliament’s international relations.  
Also, a new element is the clear-cut establishment of the Parliament Day – 23 May. 
Representatives of the parliament’s opposition criticized the code. They said that “the document was approved in haste in the end of the current parliament’s mandate.” At the same time, opposition’s representatives spoke out for “preserving the regulations valid at present.”
An MP of the Democratic Party, Sergiu Sarbu, turned down the charges, noting that “the draft is meant to strengthen the parliament’s organization and work.”
The code is to be adopted in the final reading and is to enter into force on the date of the setting up of the new convocation.