Law on Moldova's citizenship to be amended, to exclude vulnerabilities to state's security

Chisinau, 30 May /MOLDPRES/ - The procedure of recognition of Moldova’s citizenship will be safer, after stricter rules are included in the legislation, aimed at preventing the risks to the state’s security and public order. The parliament today voted a draft on amendment of the Law on citizenship, in the first reading.

The document was worked out by an MP of the faction of the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS), Igor Chiriac, and the provisions are necessary in the context of the risks triggered by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

„More exactly, in the last two years, an increase in the number of people applying for Moldova’s citizenship has been registered, 70 per cent of whom belong to people from Russia and 20 per cent – from Ukraine. Moreover, the authorities identified also attempts to get Moldova’s citizenship by fraud, based on the documents of unknown origin, submitted by applicants,’’ the informative note to the draft reads.

To prevent this, lawmaker Igor Chiriac proposes a string of amendments to the Law on Moldova’s citizenship. Thus, not all people born and with residence on the territory of Moldova, who do not have the citizenship of other states and ask for the recognition of the Moldovan citizenship, will receive it. The reception regard the people who, on the period of the application’s consideration, serve or served a criminal punishment in prison, based on the sentence by law court, have unextinguished criminal record or are under criminal prosecution. The applications submitted by these people will be turned down, just as the applications on determining the affiliation with Moldova’s citizenship or on recognition as Moldovan citizens, which will contain false information or will hide pertinent data. In the context, they propose to introduce the compulsoriness of coordinating these applications with the Intelligence and Security Service. MP Igor Chiriac also proposed to extend the period of consideration of the applications by another six months.

The draft law is to be considered in parliament in the second reading too.