Socialists propose cutting Parliament deputies from 101 to 61
Members of the parliamentary opposition are proposing to reduce the number of deputies in Parliament from 101 to 61. This initiative comes from the socialists and has the support of the "Alternative" Bloc, Our Party, and Democracy at Home. The proposal's supporters argue that this change would make state institutions more efficient and less costly.
The opposition claims that the number of deputies set at 101 was established in a different context, when the Republic of Moldova had a larger population and exercised constitutional control over the Transnistrian region. They argue that any reform of public administration should begin with the Parliament.
"We have gathered the necessary signatures to approach the Constitutional Court for an opinion. We are firmly convinced that the court will support the initiative of the deputies in the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, as well as the citizens' initiative that was freely expressed in a consultative referendum in 2019," said Vlad Bătrîncea, a deputy from the Party of Socialists of Moldova.
The parliamentary majority has not yet commented on the opposition's proposal. The idea of reducing the number of deputies is not new; it was also discussed publicly in 2017 and was presented in a consultative referendum in 2019, where the majority of voters favored reducing the number of parliamentarians to 61. Although the initiative reached the Parliament, it did not pass the committee stage.
Another attempt to amend the Constitution to reduce the number of parliamentarians was made in 2020, but the proposal did not secure the necessary votes.
