02 March 2023

Moldovan parliamentarians fight over decision to name official language Romanian

(Photo: parlament.md)

On March 2, Moldovan parliamentarians passed a bill in the first reading to change the official language of the country from Moldovan to Romanian.

According to the parliament's press service, the bill, drafted by a group of MPs from the Action and Solidarity party (DIS), stipulates that the phrase "Romanian language" will replace the current "Moldovan language" in all legislation of the Republic of Moldova.

The parliamentarians also propose to declare the text in Article 13 of the Constitution "functioning on the basis of the Latin script" obsolete, and within 30 days of the law's entry into force, the public authorities whose powers include the adoption, approval or issuance of normative acts will make the necessary changes.

The draft law also stipulates that the public holiday "Our Language," as it is currently called in the parliamentary resolution on memorial, public and weekend days and in the Labor Code, should be called "Romanian Language."

In the first reading, 56 MPs voted in favor of the bill.

However, there were some clashes. For example, when Veronica Rosca, a deputy from the Action and Solidarity party, presented the bill from the rostrum, deputies from the opposition Bloc of Communists and Socialists came to the rostrum. They brought posters calling for a referendum and early parliamentary elections.

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Video: newsmaker.md

The DIS deputies went down to the opposition and one of them, Vitaly Zhakot, snatched the poster from the socialist Alexander Nesterovsky. A fight broke out between the deputies, during which Veronika Roshka continued to present the draft law. Meanwhile, Communist MP Diana Karaman began shouting "Moldova, Moldova" into the microphone, after which the microphone was turned off and the MPs continued to fight.

Eventually, Parliament Speaker Ihor Grosu called on the MPs to calm down, and when the majority representatives returned to their seats, the consideration of the draft law continued. Despite the fact that the opposition blocked the rostrum, the decision was made.

In February 2023, the government resigned in Moldova.

And a little later, Moldovan President Maia Sandu announced Russia's plans to stage a coup d'état in her country.

In 2018, Intent investigated who and why teaches children in Odesa region the "Moldovan" language.

Кирило Бойко

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