Moldovan parliament considers dropping Russian as official language

A bill under consideration in the Moldovan parliament proposes making Romanian the sole official language of the legislative body.

If passed, the parliament would no longer be required to translate draft laws into Russian, while translations into other languages would be provided as needed after a document’s review, TVR Moldova reports.

The Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) deputy Igor Talmazan noted that the current law mandating publication in Russian often delays the release of documents due to a shortage of translators. He emphasised that the country’s official language is Romanian and parliamentary debates would also be conducted exclusively in it.

The proposal has support from some opposition deputies as well. Alexandru Berlinschi of the Our Party stated he would welcome a shift to Romanian in official parliamentary documents, while ensuring translations into Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, and Gagauz where necessary to guarantee information access for national minorities and support the idea of national reunification.

By Jeyhun Aghazada