OREANDA-NEWS. March 22, 2010. Moldova is likely to become a semi-presidential republic, under a draft new Constitution considered at a today's meeting of the commission for constitutional reform.

Parliament Speaker and acting President Mihai Ghimpu has told journalists that "the present draft sees that the head of state be elected directly by the citizens. At the same time, the current parliament will exercise its mandate till the end, just as the voters gave it on 29 July."

The speaker specified that a final decision on the president's election is to be taken by the members of the Alliance for European Integration.

At the meeting, Mihai Ghimpu proposed that the new Constitution sees that "the state's official language is provided for in the Declaration on Independence of the Republic of Moldova," although the draft's text stipulates that "the Republic of Moldova's official language is the Romanian language."

The draft new Constitution has 31 new articles. Under the document, "the new administrative organisation of the territory will be carried out till the holding of the next local elections. In the new administrative and territorial organisation, the districts will turn into sectors, in which the decentralized public services led by sub-prefects will be placed," the document also says.

The final variant of the draft new Constitution will be given the final touches at a meeting due on 24 March. The draft Constitution is to be subject to approval via a national referendum, after the parliament adopts it by majority vote.