PRESIDENT REJECTS DUAL-CITIZENSHIP BAN FOR PUBLIC OFFICIALS:

C O N F I D E N T I A L CHISINAU 000249 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/UMB E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/06/2018 TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM MD SUBJECT: PRESIDENT REJECTS DUAL-CITIZENSHIP BAN FOR PUBLIC OFFICIALS: WHAT CHANGED HIS MIND? REFS: A. Chisinau 0171, B. Chisinau 0034, C. 07 Chisinau 1490 Classified By: Ambassador Michael D. Kirby, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: To the surprise of many, President Voronin sent back to Parliament the draft law banning public officials from holding dual (read Moldovan and Romanian) citizenship. Most observers believe that Voronin, as the prime mover of the bill, had come to understand that the law would involve Moldova in an unwinnable conflict with European standards. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) The law, adopted in the first reading by Parliament on December 7, 2007, cast a wide net, prohibiting all public officials, including the President and Prime Minister, mayors, judges, and customs officers, from holding dual citizenship. Aimed generally at preventing conflicts of interest, the law was promoted in the media by Communist Party (PCRM) Deputy Vladimir Turcan, Chairman of the Legal Issues Committee, as a defense against "Bucharest's activities designed to undermine Moldova's statehood and independence." In addition, holders of Romanian citizenship in Moldova can be easily identified, because the Government of Romania publishes the names of all new Romanian citizens in its official gazette. Moldovans who hold Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish and Bulgarian citizenship would also have been affected, but at present face no risk of exposure from those governments. ¶3. (C) Voronin's February 7 rejection of the bill was a surprise, given the huge benefit it would accord to the PCRM: preventing many dual-national members of Romanian-leaning political parties, principally the Christian Democrats and the numerous liberal parties, from running for or holding office. Banning from office Liberal Party Mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca, a self-confessed holder of a Romanian passport, would be a huge benefit to the government, which spends a great deal of time fighting the young, Western-oriented mayor on issues from city debts and budget (ref A) to the location and name of a Christmas (or State) tree (refs B and C). ¶4. (C) Despite the advantages of the bill, Voronin sent it back to Parliament, arguing that it did not comply with international standards. MP Turcan told us that a new version of the bill would probably ban dual citizenship only for public officials at or above the level of deputy minister. ¶5. (C) Comment: The 55 PCRM members of the 101-seat Parliament are not known for independence of thought or action. The original bill, with its draconian restrictions, must have had Voronin's blessing. His rejection of the bill shows that the President is willing to cede political advantage when it courts the risk of an adverse European reaction, especially in the European Court of Human Rights, where Moldova has the highest number of cases lost per capita. End comment. Kirby