Alliance for European Integration
Encyclopedia
The Alliance for European Integration is the ruling coalition in Moldova
since the July 2009 election
.
, the climate in Moldova became very polarised. The parliament
failed to elect a new president
. For this reason, the parliament was dissolved and snap elections
were held. The July 29 polls
were won by the Communist Party with 44.7% of the vote. That gave the former ruling party 48 MPs, and the remaining 53 seats in the 101-member chamber went to four opposition parties. 51 votes are needed to elect the speaker and prime minister, and 61 votes to elect the president
.
(18 seats), Liberal Party
(15 seats), Democratic Party
(13 seats), and Our Moldova Alliance
(7 seats). On August 8, 2009, the four Moldovan parties agreed to create a governing coalition that pushed the Communist party into opposition; the Communists had been in government since 2001. The name of the coalition is the "Alliance for European Integration".
After the 2010 elections
, the alliance increased its majority from 53 seats to 59 seats. Although the Our Moldova Alliance did not return to parliament, the leaders of the three remaining parties of the alliance pledged signed a new coalition agreement on 30 December 2010. The new cabinet was installed on 14 January 2011, when a investiture vote took place in parliament.
, Mihai Ghimpu
, Marian Lupu
, and Serafim Urechean
– signed the 22-point declaration of the Alliance in a news conference
on Saturday, August 8, 2009.
The Liberal Democratic Party
, Liberal Party
, Democratic Party
, and Our Moldova Alliance
have committed themselves to achieving such goals as overcoming the social and economic crisis and ensuring economic growth, reintegrating territories, European integration
and promoting a balanced, consistent and responsible foreign policy. The coalition said it wants an association agreement with the European Union
. Also, the coalition said it wants strategic relations with both Russia
and the United States
.
In a press conference on October 21, 2009, Iurie Leancă
announced that official negotiations on the association agreement Moldova-EU will start on January 12, 2010.
Commission for constitutional reform in Moldova
is a commission instituted on December 1, 2009 by acting President Ghimpu to adopt a new version of the Constitution of Moldova (1994)
.
On January 14, 2010 President
Mihai Ghimpu
instituted the Commission for the Study of the Communist Dictatorship in Moldova
for studying and formulating a historic assessment of the totalitarian communist regime.
has been scheduled for August 28, one day short of the deadline for the body to convene.
On August 28, 2009, Mihai Ghimpu was elected as the Speaker of the Moldovan Parliament
, through secret voting, getting all 53 votes of the Alliance For European Integration
.
Mihai Ghimpu on August 28, 2009: "I thank my colleagues for their trust. I hope that while in this post I will cooperate for a free press, independent legal system, and a state of law of which all the Moldovan citizens will be proud."
confirmed the legitimacy of Mihai Ghimpu
's position as acting president
, which gave him the right to nominate a prime minister
. In the same day, Ghimpu signed a decree nominating Filat for the office of prime minister. Earlier on Sept. 17, the parliament approved a new government structure; according to the draft structure, the number of ministries remains unchanged at 16 but their names and responsibilities have been changed.
The Alliance cabinet of Vlad Filat took office after winning the approval of parliament on September 25, 2009. Filat said that his first official visit as premier will be made to Brussels
. He added that the agenda of the first official meetings will include visits to Paris
, Berlin
, Bucharest
, and Kiev
.
, announced in the morning of 11 September 2009 on the public broadcaster Moldova 1
.
The resignation letter was sent to the Parliament secretariat and by a vote of 52 deputies in the plenary session of the legislature was declared vacant the post of the President of the Republic of Moldova. Therefore, in accordance with Article 91 of the Constitution of 1994
, which provides that "the responsibility of the office shall devolve ad interim on the President of Parliament or the Prime Minister
, in that priority order", Mihai Ghimpu becomes the interim President of the Republic of Moldova until a new president will be elected by the Parliament.
One of the goals of the Alliance is to elect the new president
. The candidate of the Alliance is Marian Lupu
.
The four parties need to elect a new president which will be impossible without having the support of at least 8 Communist MPs. The Communists can decide to block the election of the new president, which will mean that Vladimir Voronin
(who resigned on September 11 and Mihai Ghimpu
took over as interim) will stay on as acting president until new (early) elections next year.
The critics close to the Communists said that the new coalition was in fact a resurrection of the former Alliance for Democracy and Reforms
, which had failed in its attempt to rule. After 1999, the Party of Communists used very successfully the incoherent activity of the Alliance for Democracy and Reforms
for the discreditation of any form of political coalition
formed without Communists.
, interim president of Moldova in 2010 has decreed June 28 as the Soviet Occupation Day
to remember the Soviet occupation on June 28, 1940 The move was met with disapproval and calls for the decree's revocation inside the ruling coalition, and calls for Ghimpu's resignation among the opposition parties. Dorin Chirtoacă
, mayor of Chişinău and member of the same party as Ghimpu, ordered the erection of a memorial stone in the National Assembly Square, in front of the parliament building, where a Lenin monument used to stand. The members of the coalitions argued that the time has not come for such a decree and that it would only help the communists win more votes. The Academy of Sciences of Moldova
declared that "in the view of recent disagreements regarding June 28, 1940 [...] we must take action and inform the public opinion about the academic community views". The Academy declared that: Archival documents and historical research of international experts shows that the annexation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina was designed and built by Soviet Command as a military occupation of these territories. Ordinance of Interim President Michael Ghimpu reflects, in principle, the historical truth. But the Constitutional Court
cancelled Ghimpu's decree on July 12, 2010. The Soviet Occupation Day
is observed in Latvia
to recall the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940
and on July 21, 2010 Georgia
follows the example and declared February 25 Soviet Occupation Day
.
aimed at breaking the political stalemate failed on September 5, 2010, following a low voter turnout
. No further referendum can be called to change the constitution for direct elections of the president for another two years. The head of the observer mission from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
, Andreas Gross, praised the referendum as being well organised and corresponding to democratic standards.
on dissolving parliament and holding a new election
.
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
since the July 2009 election
Moldovan parliamentary election, July 2009
- Pre-election developments :The country's parliament, elected months earlier, was dissolved by president Vladimir Voronin on 15 June 2009, after it had twice failed to elect a new president....
.
Overall context
After April 2009 election and the civil unrest2009 Moldova civil unrest
The 2009 civil unrest in Moldova began on April 7, 2009, in major cities of Moldova before the results of the 2009 Moldovan parliamentary election were announced...
, the climate in Moldova became very polarised. The parliament
Parliament of the Republic of Moldova
The Parliament of the Republic of Moldova is a unicameral assembly with 101 seats. Its members are elected by popular vote every 4 years. The parliament then elects a president, who functions as the head of state...
failed to elect a new president
Moldovan presidential election, May–June 2009
An indirect presidential election was held in Moldova following the April 2009 parliamentary election.- Overview :The incumbent president, Vladimir Voronin, is term-limited and was elected to become speaker of the Parliament of Moldova in early May 2009; the ruling Party of Communists of the...
. For this reason, the parliament was dissolved and snap elections
Moldovan parliamentary election, July 2009
- Pre-election developments :The country's parliament, elected months earlier, was dissolved by president Vladimir Voronin on 15 June 2009, after it had twice failed to elect a new president....
were held. The July 29 polls
Moldovan parliamentary election, July 2009
- Pre-election developments :The country's parliament, elected months earlier, was dissolved by president Vladimir Voronin on 15 June 2009, after it had twice failed to elect a new president....
were won by the Communist Party with 44.7% of the vote. That gave the former ruling party 48 MPs, and the remaining 53 seats in the 101-member chamber went to four opposition parties. 51 votes are needed to elect the speaker and prime minister, and 61 votes to elect the president
President of Moldova
The President of the Republic of Moldova is the head of state of Moldova.-Description of the post:According to the Article 77 of the Constitution of Moldova , the President of Moldova is the head of the State and represents the State and is the guarantor of national sovereignty, independence, of...
.
Membership
After the July 2009 elections, the alliance was formed by the following parties: Liberal Democratic PartyLiberal Democratic Party of Moldova
The Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova is a political party in the Republic of Moldova. The Party's Founding Congress was held on December 8, 2007 and Vlad Filat was elected as president....
(18 seats), Liberal Party
Liberal Party (Moldova)
The Liberal Party is a conservative-liberal political party in Moldova.The president of the party is Mihai Ghimpu. His nephew Dorin Chirtoacă is its vice-president.-History:...
(15 seats), Democratic Party
Democratic Party of Moldova
The Democratic Party of Moldova is a social-democratic political party in Moldova.-Overview:In the legislative elections of 6 March 2005, the party was part of the Electoral Bloc Democratic Moldova , that won 28.4 % of the popular vote and 34 out of 101 seats. Inside the Bloc the party won 8 seats...
(13 seats), and Our Moldova Alliance
Party Alliance Our Moldova
The Party Alliance Our Moldova was a social liberal political party in Moldova led by Serafim Urechean, former mayor of Chişinău. It merged into the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova in 2011.-History:...
(7 seats). On August 8, 2009, the four Moldovan parties agreed to create a governing coalition that pushed the Communist party into opposition; the Communists had been in government since 2001. The name of the coalition is the "Alliance for European Integration".
After the 2010 elections
Moldovan parliamentary election, 2010
A parliamentary election was held in Moldova on 28 November 2010 after indirect presidential elections failed for the second time in late 2009.-Pre-election developments:...
, the alliance increased its majority from 53 seats to 59 seats. Although the Our Moldova Alliance did not return to parliament, the leaders of the three remaining parties of the alliance pledged signed a new coalition agreement on 30 December 2010. The new cabinet was installed on 14 January 2011, when a investiture vote took place in parliament.
Goals
The leaders of the four parties – Vlad FilatVlad Filat
Vladimir Filat is a Moldovan politician, the Prime Minister of Moldova since 25 September 2009.- Education and early career :...
, Mihai Ghimpu
Mihai Ghimpu
Mihai Ghimpu Mihai Ghimpu Mihai Ghimpu (born 19 November 1951, Coloniţa, Moldova, is a Moldovan politician. He was Speaker of Parliament from 28 August 2009 to 30 December 2010 and Acting President from 11 September 2009 until 28 December 2010.-Family:...
, Marian Lupu
Marian Lupu
Marian Lupu is a Moldovan politician and is President of Parliament and Acting President since 2010.-Background and education:...
, and Serafim Urechean
Serafim Urechean
Serafim Urechean is a Moldovan politician.-Education and career:Urechean was born on February 2, 1950, in Larga, Briceni. In 1974, he graduated from the Polytechnic Institute in Chişinău. He carried out the compulsory military service in the Soviet army, at Tolyatti...
– signed the 22-point declaration of the Alliance in a news conference
News conference
A news conference or press conference is a media event in which newsmakers invite journalists to hear them speak and, most often, ask questions. A joint press conference instead is held between two or more talking sides.-Practice:...
on Saturday, August 8, 2009.
The Liberal Democratic Party
Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova
The Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova is a political party in the Republic of Moldova. The Party's Founding Congress was held on December 8, 2007 and Vlad Filat was elected as president....
, Liberal Party
Liberal Party (Moldova)
The Liberal Party is a conservative-liberal political party in Moldova.The president of the party is Mihai Ghimpu. His nephew Dorin Chirtoacă is its vice-president.-History:...
, Democratic Party
Democratic Party of Moldova
The Democratic Party of Moldova is a social-democratic political party in Moldova.-Overview:In the legislative elections of 6 March 2005, the party was part of the Electoral Bloc Democratic Moldova , that won 28.4 % of the popular vote and 34 out of 101 seats. Inside the Bloc the party won 8 seats...
, and Our Moldova Alliance
Party Alliance Our Moldova
The Party Alliance Our Moldova was a social liberal political party in Moldova led by Serafim Urechean, former mayor of Chişinău. It merged into the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova in 2011.-History:...
have committed themselves to achieving such goals as overcoming the social and economic crisis and ensuring economic growth, reintegrating territories, European integration
European integration
European integration is the process of industrial, political, legal, economic integration of states wholly or partially in Europe...
and promoting a balanced, consistent and responsible foreign policy. The coalition said it wants an association agreement with the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. Also, the coalition said it wants strategic relations with both Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
In a press conference on October 21, 2009, Iurie Leancă
Iurie Leancă
Iurie Leancă is a Moldovan politician. He is the current Foreign and European Integration Minister in Vlad Filat Cabinet.- Early career :...
announced that official negotiations on the association agreement Moldova-EU will start on January 12, 2010.
Commission for constitutional reform in Moldova
Commission for constitutional reform in Moldova
The Commission for constitutional reform is a commission instituted in Moldova by acting President Mihai Ghimpu to adopt a new version of the Constitution of Moldova .The commission for constitutional reform was set up under presidential decree The Commission for constitutional reform is a...
is a commission instituted on December 1, 2009 by acting President Ghimpu to adopt a new version of the Constitution of Moldova (1994)
Constitution of Moldova (1994)
The Republic of Moldova Constitution of 1994 is the country's supreme law of the country since August 27, 1994.- History :It was adopted on July 29, 1994 by the Moldovan Parliament and published in Monitorul Oficial al R. Moldova, N1, July 18, 1994....
.
On January 14, 2010 President
President of Moldova
The President of the Republic of Moldova is the head of state of Moldova.-Description of the post:According to the Article 77 of the Constitution of Moldova , the President of Moldova is the head of the State and represents the State and is the guarantor of national sovereignty, independence, of...
Mihai Ghimpu
Mihai Ghimpu
Mihai Ghimpu Mihai Ghimpu Mihai Ghimpu (born 19 November 1951, Coloniţa, Moldova, is a Moldovan politician. He was Speaker of Parliament from 28 August 2009 to 30 December 2010 and Acting President from 11 September 2009 until 28 December 2010.-Family:...
instituted the Commission for the Study of the Communist Dictatorship in Moldova
Commission for the Study of the Communist Dictatorship in Moldova
The Commission for the Study and Evaluation of the Communist Totalitarian Regime of the Republic of Moldova is a commission instituted in Moldova by acting President Mihai Ghimpu to investigate the Communist regime and provide a comprehensive report allowing for the condemnation of Communism as...
for studying and formulating a historic assessment of the totalitarian communist regime.
Moldovan Parliament
The first session of Moldova's parliamentParliament of the Republic of Moldova
The Parliament of the Republic of Moldova is a unicameral assembly with 101 seats. Its members are elected by popular vote every 4 years. The parliament then elects a president, who functions as the head of state...
has been scheduled for August 28, one day short of the deadline for the body to convene.
On August 28, 2009, Mihai Ghimpu was elected as the Speaker of the Moldovan Parliament
Speaker of the Moldovan Parliament
-Moldovan Democratic Republic:-Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic:-Moldavian SSR:The Chairmen of the Supreme Soviet of the Moldavian SSR were:-Speakers of Moldovan Parliament:...
, through secret voting, getting all 53 votes of the Alliance For European Integration
Alliance for European Integration
The Alliance for European Integration is the ruling coalition in Moldova since the July 2009 election.-Overall context :After April 2009 election and the civil unrest, the climate in Moldova became very polarised. The parliament failed to elect a new president. For this reason, the parliament was...
.
Mihai Ghimpu on August 28, 2009: "I thank my colleagues for their trust. I hope that while in this post I will cooperate for a free press, independent legal system, and a state of law of which all the Moldovan citizens will be proud."
Prime Minister of Moldova
Constitutional Court of MoldovaConstitutional Court of Moldova
The Constitutional Court of Moldova represent the sole body of constitutional jurisdiction in the Republic of Moldova, autonomous and independent from the executive, the legislature and the judiciary....
confirmed the legitimacy of Mihai Ghimpu
Mihai Ghimpu
Mihai Ghimpu Mihai Ghimpu Mihai Ghimpu (born 19 November 1951, Coloniţa, Moldova, is a Moldovan politician. He was Speaker of Parliament from 28 August 2009 to 30 December 2010 and Acting President from 11 September 2009 until 28 December 2010.-Family:...
's position as acting president
President of Moldova
The President of the Republic of Moldova is the head of state of Moldova.-Description of the post:According to the Article 77 of the Constitution of Moldova , the President of Moldova is the head of the State and represents the State and is the guarantor of national sovereignty, independence, of...
, which gave him the right to nominate a prime minister
Prime Minister of Moldova
The Prime Minister of Moldova is Moldova's head of government. The prime minister is formally appointed by the President and exercises executive power along with the cabinet subject to parliamentary support.-Moldavian Democratic Republic :...
. In the same day, Ghimpu signed a decree nominating Filat for the office of prime minister. Earlier on Sept. 17, the parliament approved a new government structure; according to the draft structure, the number of ministries remains unchanged at 16 but their names and responsibilities have been changed.
The Alliance cabinet of Vlad Filat took office after winning the approval of parliament on September 25, 2009. Filat said that his first official visit as premier will be made to Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. He added that the agenda of the first official meetings will include visits to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, and Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
.
President of Moldova
On September 11, 2009, Mihai Ghimpu became the acting president of Moldova. The interim position was possible following the resignation of Moldovan President, Vladimir VoroninVladimir Voronin
Vladimir Nicolaevici Voronin is a Moldovan politician. He was the third President of Moldova from 2001 until 2009 and has been the First Secretary of the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova since 1994...
, announced in the morning of 11 September 2009 on the public broadcaster Moldova 1
Moldova 1
Moldova 1 is the national Moldovan television channel, operated by the national public broadcaster, TeleRadio-Moldova.- Directors :* Andrei Timuş * Mihail Onoicenco...
.
The resignation letter was sent to the Parliament secretariat and by a vote of 52 deputies in the plenary session of the legislature was declared vacant the post of the President of the Republic of Moldova. Therefore, in accordance with Article 91 of the Constitution of 1994
Constitution of Moldova (1994)
The Republic of Moldova Constitution of 1994 is the country's supreme law of the country since August 27, 1994.- History :It was adopted on July 29, 1994 by the Moldovan Parliament and published in Monitorul Oficial al R. Moldova, N1, July 18, 1994....
, which provides that "the responsibility of the office shall devolve ad interim on the President of Parliament or the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Moldova
The Prime Minister of Moldova is Moldova's head of government. The prime minister is formally appointed by the President and exercises executive power along with the cabinet subject to parliamentary support.-Moldavian Democratic Republic :...
, in that priority order", Mihai Ghimpu becomes the interim President of the Republic of Moldova until a new president will be elected by the Parliament.
One of the goals of the Alliance is to elect the new president
President of Moldova
The President of the Republic of Moldova is the head of state of Moldova.-Description of the post:According to the Article 77 of the Constitution of Moldova , the President of Moldova is the head of the State and represents the State and is the guarantor of national sovereignty, independence, of...
. The candidate of the Alliance is Marian Lupu
Marian Lupu
Marian Lupu is a Moldovan politician and is President of Parliament and Acting President since 2010.-Background and education:...
.
The four parties need to elect a new president which will be impossible without having the support of at least 8 Communist MPs. The Communists can decide to block the election of the new president, which will mean that Vladimir Voronin
Vladimir Voronin
Vladimir Nicolaevici Voronin is a Moldovan politician. He was the third President of Moldova from 2001 until 2009 and has been the First Secretary of the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova since 1994...
(who resigned on September 11 and Mihai Ghimpu
Mihai Ghimpu
Mihai Ghimpu Mihai Ghimpu Mihai Ghimpu (born 19 November 1951, Coloniţa, Moldova, is a Moldovan politician. He was Speaker of Parliament from 28 August 2009 to 30 December 2010 and Acting President from 11 September 2009 until 28 December 2010.-Family:...
took over as interim) will stay on as acting president until new (early) elections next year.
The critics close to the Communists said that the new coalition was in fact a resurrection of the former Alliance for Democracy and Reforms
Alliance for Democracy and Reforms
The Alliance for Democracy and Reforms was a governing coalition, between numerous non-Communist parties, which had the absolute majority in the Moldovan Parliament after the 1998 parliamentary election.- The overall context :...
, which had failed in its attempt to rule. After 1999, the Party of Communists used very successfully the incoherent activity of the Alliance for Democracy and Reforms
Alliance for Democracy and Reforms
The Alliance for Democracy and Reforms was a governing coalition, between numerous non-Communist parties, which had the absolute majority in the Moldovan Parliament after the 1998 parliamentary election.- The overall context :...
for the discreditation of any form of political coalition
Political coalition
A political coalition or political alliance is an agreement for cooperation between different political parties on common political agenda, often for purposes of contesting an election to mutually benefit by collectively clearing election thresholds or otherwise benefiting from characteristics of...
formed without Communists.
Soviet Occupation Day
Mihai GhimpuMihai Ghimpu
Mihai Ghimpu Mihai Ghimpu Mihai Ghimpu (born 19 November 1951, Coloniţa, Moldova, is a Moldovan politician. He was Speaker of Parliament from 28 August 2009 to 30 December 2010 and Acting President from 11 September 2009 until 28 December 2010.-Family:...
, interim president of Moldova in 2010 has decreed June 28 as the Soviet Occupation Day
Soviet Occupation Day
Soviet Occupation Day may refer to:* Soviet Occupation Day, Georgia* Soviet Occupation Day, Latvia* Soviet Occupation Day, Moldova...
to remember the Soviet occupation on June 28, 1940 The move was met with disapproval and calls for the decree's revocation inside the ruling coalition, and calls for Ghimpu's resignation among the opposition parties. Dorin Chirtoacă
Dorin Chirtoaca
- Biography :His mother is Valentina, sister of Gheorghe Ghimpu and Mihai Ghimpu. During high school he studied in Iaşi and graduated in 2001 from University of Bucharest. Between 2001 and 2003 Chirtoacă worked for Surprize, Surprize , a show broadcast on TVR1...
, mayor of Chişinău and member of the same party as Ghimpu, ordered the erection of a memorial stone in the National Assembly Square, in front of the parliament building, where a Lenin monument used to stand. The members of the coalitions argued that the time has not come for such a decree and that it would only help the communists win more votes. The Academy of Sciences of Moldova
Academy of Sciences of Moldova
The Academy of Sciences of Moldova , established in 1946, is the main scientific organization of the Republic of Moldova and coordinates research in all areas of science and technology.- Presidents :...
declared that "in the view of recent disagreements regarding June 28, 1940 [...] we must take action and inform the public opinion about the academic community views". The Academy declared that: Archival documents and historical research of international experts shows that the annexation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina was designed and built by Soviet Command as a military occupation of these territories. Ordinance of Interim President Michael Ghimpu reflects, in principle, the historical truth. But the Constitutional Court
Constitutional Court of Moldova
The Constitutional Court of Moldova represent the sole body of constitutional jurisdiction in the Republic of Moldova, autonomous and independent from the executive, the legislature and the judiciary....
cancelled Ghimpu's decree on July 12, 2010. The Soviet Occupation Day
Soviet Occupation Day
Soviet Occupation Day may refer to:* Soviet Occupation Day, Georgia* Soviet Occupation Day, Latvia* Soviet Occupation Day, Moldova...
is observed in Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
to recall the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940
Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940
The Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940 refers, according to the European Court of Human Rights, the Government of Latvia, the State Department of the United States of America, and the European Union, to the military occupation of the Republic of Latvia by the Soviet Union ostensibly under the...
and on July 21, 2010 Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
follows the example and declared February 25 Soviet Occupation Day
Soviet Occupation Day
Soviet Occupation Day may refer to:* Soviet Occupation Day, Georgia* Soviet Occupation Day, Latvia* Soviet Occupation Day, Moldova...
.
Constitutional referendum
The constitutional referendumMoldovan constitutional referendum, 2010
The Moldovan referendum of 2010 was a nationwide referendum in Moldova held on 5 September on whether or not the country should amend the Constitution of Moldova to return to direct popular election of the president instead of 3/5 of total number of seats parliament vote as it is now...
aimed at breaking the political stalemate failed on September 5, 2010, following a low voter turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
. No further referendum can be called to change the constitution for direct elections of the president for another two years. The head of the observer mission from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe , which held its first session in Strasbourg on 10 August 1949, can be considered the oldest international parliamentary assembly with a pluralistic composition of democratically elected members of parliament established on the basis of an...
, Andreas Gross, praised the referendum as being well organised and corresponding to democratic standards.
2010 election
After the referendum failed, the Alliance announced on September 6 that it would consult the Constitutional Court of MoldovaConstitutional Court of Moldova
The Constitutional Court of Moldova represent the sole body of constitutional jurisdiction in the Republic of Moldova, autonomous and independent from the executive, the legislature and the judiciary....
on dissolving parliament and holding a new election
Moldovan parliamentary election, 2010
A parliamentary election was held in Moldova on 28 November 2010 after indirect presidential elections failed for the second time in late 2009.-Pre-election developments:...
.