Moldovan parliament to work under new rules, political party switching to be limited by strict regulations

The Moldovan parliament will work on the basis of a new Code on the organization and functioning of the institution. The document is meant to modernize the legislative process, enhance transparency and introduce stricter rules, including measures to discourage political party switching.

MP Igor Talmazan today presented the document at the plenary meeting. He noted that the draft was not a recent initiative, but the result of a process that had begun almost one decade ago.

“The draft Code on the organization and functioning of the parliament is not a current creation. It was developed during more legislative periods. Work on this code practically started in 2016; which is why, the draft incorporates elements and experiences from different stages of the parliament’s activity,” Talmazan said.

The official specified that the document had been initially developed and examined together with the draft law on the status and conduct of MPs, but it remained unfinished in the previous legislative period.

“These drafts were previously registered and examined as a package, but the Code on the organization and work of the parliament was not finalized at that time. In the current legislative period, the process has been resumed, including through public consultations,” he also said.

Talmazan noted that some of the proposals submitted by experts and institutions had been included in the final version of the draft, while others are to be further examined.

The MP stressed that the new Code aims to make parliamentary activity more efficient and to align it with European standards on the legislative process.

“The drafting of the Code was driven by the need to ensure the predictability of the law, the transparency of the legislative process and the implementation of European standards in terms of substantiating legislation and exercising parliamentary oversight,” the official said.

The document also seeks to eliminate gaps in parliamentary practice and to clarify the relationship between parliament and other state authorities.

According to the cited source, one of the most important elements of the draft is the stricter regulation of political party switching.

“One of the core commitments of this Code is to discourage political party switching. It is proposed that, during the parliamentary mandate, changes to the political configuration resulting from elections should not be allowed, so that the will of the voters is respected,” Talmazan noted.

He specified that this provision does not affect the MP’s mandate, which remains valid under the Constitution.

“The MP’s mandate is not affected. The MP retains a valid mandate, but the aim is to prevent the distortion of the electorate’s will, by changing the political configuration after elections,” the lawmaker said.

The new Code also provides for a restructuring of the parliament’s internal organization, including the role of the standing bureau, the commissions and of the plenum.

“A more coherent activity of parliament is proposed, with a clear division of responsibilities between the standing bureau, the commissions and the plenum. A better correlation between the legislative programme and the government’s agenda is also introduced,” Talmazan said.

At the same time, the relations between the parliament and the government, the Presidency and the Constitutional Court are regulated in more detail.

The draft stipulates that the Romanian language is the official language of communication in parliament.

“According to the Constitution, the official working language of the parliament is Romanian and all normative acts are drafted in this language,” the official pointed out.

The draft also introduces a Government Hour. Thus, during ordinary sessions, the standing bureau will set a day dedicated to political debates, attended by ministers or the Prime Minister. These debates will take place at the request of parliamentary factions, at least once a month.

At the same time, the introduction of an Opposition Day is proposed. For the first plenary meeting in every sixth week of the parliamentary session, the standing bureau will place on the agenda the topics proposed by opposition parliamentary factions, independent MPs and unaffiliated lawmakers.

The draft regulates the procedure for taking the floor at plenary meetings as well. The duration of interventions will not exceed five minutes for factions and three minutes for MPs. For statements on topics that are not on the agenda, the time allocated will be seven minutes for factions and five minutes for MPs.

The draft further sees that the time allocated for the question-and-answer session during debates will be 60 minutes. This may be extended by a vote of the majority of elected MPs.

The parliamentary opposition criticized the draft and subsequently left the session hall.

“Parliamentary party switching is not regulated in any act. We support this article, but we must provide for all situations, for example the case of MPs who are expelled from their own faction. This aspect must be clarified,” MP Ion Chicu said.

For his part, MP Vasile Tarlev noted that the draft contained some shortcomings and was being promoted too quickly.

The document has been earlier consulted with all parliamentary factions and with representatives of civil society. For the second reading, it will be merged with the draft law on the status, conduct and ethics of MPs in parliament.