LIVE TEXT // Referendum results – validated. The Constitutional Court gives the green light for amending the Constitution
(UPDATE 17:15) The Constitutional Court has validated the results of the republican constitutional referendum of October 20. Thus, the High Court gave the green light for amending the Constitution with a view to the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union. The decision was taken on October 31, after more than two hours of deliberations.
The Constitutional Court (CC) convened a meeting to examine the result of the republican constitutional referendum on October 20. In parallel, a group of protesters, sympathizers and leaders of the Bloc of Communists and Socialists (BCS), picketed the headquarters of the High Court. Deputies affiliated with the team of fugitive Ilan Șor, convicted in the "Bank fraud" case, also joined the protest. "Respect the Constitution," chant the protesters.
Hundreds of people would have sold their vote for the "NO" option in the referendum, Caraman
The General Police Inspectorate (IGP) has documented about 800 cases of bribing voters to induce them to vote against the constitutional republican referendum, announced Angelica Caraman, president of the CEC, during the meeting of the Constitutional Court. According to her, during the electoral and pre-electoral period, there were complaints regarding the involvement of religious cults in promoting this option.
"Both during the electoral and pre-electoral period, we were notified that through religious cults, through various forms and pretexts, information was disseminated on a large scale regarding the persuasion of citizens to choose the NO option to the referendum," declared Caraman.
Also, the president of the CEC announced that the National Anticorruption Center has already started criminal prosecution in 15 cases, citing reasonable suspicions of voter corruption and illegal financing of political parties, including from external sources.
In context, the electoral authority mentions that such practices endanger the constitutional rights of citizens and undermine democratic processes in the country. "We will have to come up with several changes to the Electoral Code in order not to admit such protests in the future," said Caraman.
12:39 Citizens notify the CEC, after they were not found in the electoral lists. Caraman: "It has been shown that fictitious records were used"
Several citizens reported to the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) after they were not found in the basic electoral lists, especially because they had previously registered in the Russian Federation. The statement was made by the president of the electoral authority, Angelica Caraman, before the plenary session of the Constitutional Court.
"We have objections to the fact that some were not included in the basic electoral list. I found them pre-registered, only in the Russian Federation. It proved what we were saying before, that some fictitious records were used. Since the persons registered abroad, we excluded them from the basic electoral lists. Now we are answering these questions and we will come with more clarifications regarding how it happens that some people do not even know that they are registered in advance, but appear in those lists".
12:20 The protest of the communists and Şor's team has ended. CC meeting - continues
The protest organized by the Communist Party, which was also attended by deputies and members of the parties affiliated to Ilan Șor, convicted in the bank fraud case, has ended. The meeting of the Electoral Commission continues.
11:36 a.m Voronin and Caraman were not admitted to the Court session
The Constitutional Court rejected, after almost an hour of deliberations, the request by which the communist deputies Vladimir Voronin and Diana Caraman asked to be admitted as participants in the plenary session in which the judges of the High Court examine the results of the referendum.
The request regarding the recount of the votes, submitted by the communists as participants in the October 20 referendum, will be examined by the Constitutional Court in the context of the referral to the CEC regarding the confirmation of the results of the referendum, informed Domnica Manole.
"It is the decision of the CC plenum, please respect this decision", concluded the president of the CCM.
The Constitutional Court to decide whether Caraman and Voronin will attend the meeting
The Constitutional Court examines the necessity of the participation of the deputies of the Bloc of Communists and Socialists (BCS) in the meeting regarding the confirmation of the results of the referendum. Diana Caraman emphasized that their presence is essential, given the complaint recently submitted to the Court.
"We have concrete evidence regarding the legality and violations committed during the election campaign. We consider these pieces of evidence to be essential," Caraman said.
"You submitted to the Court, on October 29 and yesterday, a notification in which you invoked the alleged violations. The documents have been distributed to all judges and are to be analyzed".
The members of the Court will decide on the necessity of the presence of MPs Voronin and Caraman at the meeting of the High Court.
The Constitutional Court starts examining the results of the referendum
The judges of the Constitutional Court gathered in plenary session to examine the referral regarding the confirmation of the results of the constitutional referendum of October 20. The leadership of the Central Electoral Commission, as well as the deputies of the Bloc of Communists and Socialists, Diana Caraman and Vladimir Voronin, participate in the meeting.
Communists and parties affiliated with Şor are protesting at the Constitutional Court
The session of the Constitutional Court (CC) is about to start, amid a protest organized by the opposition parties, including former candidates in the presidential elections who were allegedly supported by the fugitive Ilan Şor. The crowd chanted slogans such as "Down with the dictatorship!" and "Down with the Court's decision."
"We understand very well that the CC has ten days to respond to the CEC regarding the recognition of the results, they are in a hurry so that today, tomorrow at the latest, they adopt the decision with which Maia Sandu will go to the second round", said Diana Caraman, deputy of the BCS.
"I think that this is only the beginning of this whole disaster that is happening today in Moldova and has been going on for so many years. It can no longer be tolerated by the citizens. A very hard winter awaits us, a very complicated winter, a winter of poverty, a winter of need. We must all be united", said Vladimir Voronin, BCS deputy, president of the Communist Party.
Among the protesters are also members of the parties affiliated with Ilan Șor, including non-affiliated deputies from his team. Victoria Furtună, former anti-corruption prosecutor and former presidential candidate, also participates in the protest. She accused the authorities of having falsified the result of the referendum and called on the CC judges to make a decision "in favor of the people".
We remind you that the socialists announced on the eve that they would not recognize the results of the republican constitutional referendum on the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union. The political formation qualifies the October 20 referendum as "illegal" and claims that it would "gravely" violate the supreme law of the country, the Electoral Code and the recommendations of the Venice Commission. Contacted for a comment, the spokesperson of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), Rodica Sîrbu, told "Teleradio-Moldova" that the electoral authority does not comment on political statements.
We remind you that citizens were called on October 20 to vote to elect their future president and to participate in the republican constitutional referendum on the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union and to answer the question: "Do you support amending the Constitution for the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the Union European?".
According to the data presented by the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), 50.72 percent of the voters came to the polls. Out of the total number of over one million 488 thousand votes validly cast, 50.35 percent voted for the YES option, and 49.65 percent for the NO option.
According to the Electoral Code, the decision submitted to the republican referendum is considered adopted if the majority of citizens who participated in the referendum voted for it. Thus, it is published in a special edition of the Official Gazette of the Republic of Moldova. The date of adoption of the decision is considered the day of the republican referendum and enters into force on the date of publication in the Official Gazette or on the date indicated therein.
