The Newsletter is based on the radio programme broadcast on April 19th, 2017, produced by the Foreign Policy Association of Moldova in partnership with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung(FES). The programme is broadcast on the Moldova Public Radio. The programme is part of the FES/APE“Foreign Policy Dialogues” Project. The content can be reproduced by mentioning the source. NEWSLETTER MONTHLY BULLETIN APRIL 2017 NR.3(133) Synthesis and Foreign Policy Debates The materials are realized by Lina Grau, foreign policy expert and programme coordinator with APE. TOPICS OF THE EDITION: 1. Sergiu Sîrbu , co-author of the draft law on the change of the electoral system and vice-chairman of PDM: The vast majority of citizens are asking for the change of the electoral system 2. Maia Sandu : The Government is seeking additional doors for manipulating and rigging the upcoming elections 3. Igor Boțan : This system is designed for large and resourceful parties- the Democratic Party of Moldova and the Socialist Party 4. Markus Meckel : It is the parties and the party financing system that should be changed and not the electoral system Ultima perioadă a fost marcată de o serie de evenimente importante pentru Republica Moldova. The Budget Committee of the European Parliament has approved the request of the Member of the European Parliament, Siegfried Mureşan, to make conditional the European financing for Moldova based on results in the areas of“fighting against corruption, independence of the judiciary, strengthening the rule of law and strengthening the banking system,” reads a press release of the Member of European Parliament. On April 12 th , the ambassadors of the EU countries to Brussels have endorsed a package of 100 million Euro as macro-financial aid for Moldova, 60 million Euro of which is in form of a loan, while 40 million Euro is a grant, in addition to the resources offered by the IMF. The European Parliament’s final vote on this assistance is scheduled to take place at the plenary session from May. Moldova will receive observer status in the Eurasian Economic Union(EEU), announced the Moldovan President Igor Dodon. In a Facebook post in Russian, Dodon said the decision was taken on April 14 th by the leaders of the five Member States of the Union and that it does not mean that Moldova joins the EEU, but it offers the opportunity to learn more about the operating principles of this organization. Moldova’s observer status in the Eurasian Economic Union has more of a symbolic character, said the Moldovan Speaker of Parliament, Andrian Candu, as quoted by IPN. The speaker of Parliament says that in order to produce legal effects, any international agreement has to be ratified by the Parliament. On the other hand, the spokesman of the Kremlin, Dmitri Peskov, was quoted in the press saying that the granting of observer status to Moldova does not mean its acceptance in the EEU and that the leaders of the five states that are part of this organization are going to develop the observer status as such doesn’t exist yet. A delegation of the Socialist Party of Moldova attended the ceremony on the occasion of the anniversary of the former leader of North Korea, Kim Il Sung, reads the newspaper of the North Korean Workers’ Party. According to rodong.rep.kp, the Moldovan delegation participated Friday, April 14 th , in the ceremony on the occasion of the 105 th anniversary of the founder of North Korea, Kim Il Sung. The Turkish President Recep Erdogan will visit Moldova on May 5 th to 6 th , announced the press service of the Moldovan presidency. In Chisinau, Erdogan will sign several cooperation agreements in areas of common interest and will visit the Gagauz region where he will attend several events. On the occasion of the Turkish president’s visit there will be organized a forum of businessmen from Turkey and Moldova. According to a survey of the Association of Sociologists and Demographists, the Moldovan President Igor Dodon enjoys the highest confidence-50%, followed by Maia Sandu with 19.7% and Andrei Nastase with 5.3%. The leader of the main ruling party, Vlad Plahotniuc, considered the most influential Moldovan politician, is trusted by less than 5% of Moldovans. The Socialist Party leads the top electoral preferences with 37.4%, followed by Action and Solidarity Party(PAS) with 13.3%, Democratic Party of Moldova with 6.8% and Dignity and Truth Platform Party with 4.4%. The survey also shows that the percentage of Moldovans who would choose the Eurasian external direction is bigger than that of the supporters of the EU integration. Republic of Moldova and the uninominal voting system Lina Grâu The Democratic Party of Moldova(PDM) has initiated the changing of the electoral system in Moldova, from the current proportional system, introduced in 1993, to a uninominal electoral system within which the deputies will be elected in 101 single-member constituencies. For this purpose, a draft law was registered in Parliament on March 15 th , followed by a broad information and signature collection campaign in support of the initiative across the country. Also, there have been organised debates in Parliament and on other platforms. The authors assure that the document will be passed only after ceiving favourable opinion from the Venice Commission. The opponents of the changing of the electoral system have criticized the plans of the Democrats, accusing the latter of trying this way to remain in power after the 2018 parliamentary elections. Monthly Bulletin, Nr. 3(133), April 2017 64, Sciusev str. MD-2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, Tel-Fax:+373 22 21 09 86 Website: www.ape.md E-mail: office@ape.md