Moldovan lawmakers have approved the final reading of a bill that will change references to the country’s official national language in the constitution and in all legislative texts from Moldovan to Romanian.
The bill, intended to resolve a heated dispute over whether the national language should be referred to as Romanian or Moldovan, was introduced by pro-Western President Maia Sandu's ruling Action and Solidarity Party (PAS). It was approved by lawmakers in its first reading in early March and passed again on March 16 with the support of 58 lawmakers in the 101-member parliament.
Lawmakers from the pro-Russian Communists and Socialists' Bloc (BCS) protested against the bill during the session, unfurling banners criticizing the PAS as "a tyrant." One read: "The Moldovan language is the mother, the Romanian language is the daughter." Another said: "Constitution of the Republic of Moldova: Moldova, Moldovans, the Moldovan way."
BCS leaders Vladimir Voronin and Vladimir Bolea said before the vote that the changes are "illegal" and they will challenge them in the Constitutional Court.
The bill will be considered as endorsed into law after its text is published in the media.
The law will replace the currently used "Moldovan language," "official language," "state language," and "maternal language" in the constitution and all official documents. More than 80 percent of Moldovans speak Romanian as their mother tongue.
The naming of the country's official language is a hot political topic, and some lawmakers consider it an important step for the European Union candidate to distance itself from its Soviet past and historic ties to Moscow. During the parliamentary debates over the bill in its first reading on March 3, some PAS and BCS lawmakers engaged in scuffles.
Romanian is favored by those who want closer relations or even unification with Romania, a European Union and NATO member.
Moldova, a country of roughly 2.7 million, is located between Romania and Ukraine and has a history that is deeply intertwined with Romania.
The two neighbors share a common history, culture, and language. The eastern region of Romania is also called Moldova.
Most of Moldova was annexed by tsarist Russia in 1812 and was part of the Russian empire under the name Bessarabia until the end of World War I, when it voted to unite with Romania.
It was again annexed by Moscow and turned into a Soviet republic at the end of WWII, before declaring independence in 1991 amid the collapse of the Soviet Union.
One of Europe's poorest countries, Moldova has been confronted with further instability by Russia's war in Ukraine. It has received thousands of Ukrainian refugees and fears a potential Russian invasion aided by Russian troops stationed in its breakaway Transdniester region.