State language in Moldova is Romanian - Constitutional Court

CHISINAU. March 11 (Interfax) - The Moldovan Constitutional Court has confirmed the constitutionality of the law that the correct name of the state language in the country is Romanian.

The Constitutional Court handed down this ruling on Monday, overturning a request by a group of deputies from the Communist and Socialist Bloc, including former President Vladimir Voronin, former Prime Minister Zinaida Greceanii and Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Vlad Batrincea.

The authors of the request challenged in the Constitutional Court a law enacted last year that envisions changing the syntagms "Moldovan language", "state language" and "our language" in the constitution and all legislative acts to the name "Romanian language."

The Constitutional Court recognized the law as "partially compliant with the constitution." "Only the article recognizing as obsolete the syntagma 'Romanian language functioning on the basis of the Latin script' was recognized unconstitutional," Constitutional Court President Domnica Manole said. This syntagma can therefore continue to be used along with the official name "Romanian language."

The authors of the request filed with the Constitutional Court referred to the fact that the faction of the Action and Solidarity ruling party (PAS) amended the constitution with a simple majority of deputies' votes, and not with two-thirds of deputies' votes, as it is stipulated in the constitution.

In turn, the PAS representatives explained that the law is not aimed at amending the constitution, but at implementing the Constitutional Court's ruling of December 5, 2013. At that time, the Constitutional Court ruled that the Declaration of Independence is higher than the constitution, in particular, with regard to the name of the language. The constitution called the state language "Moldovan language based on the Latin script" until 2023, while the Declaration of Independence called it "Romanian language."