The phrase "Moldovan language" will be replaced with "Romanian language" in the texts of all Moldovan laws and regulations, including the Constitution of Moldova; the Moldovan parliament passed a relevant bill "On the implementation of considerations of some rulings of the Constitutional Court" in second, final reading on Thursday.

The authors of the bill have invoked three Constitutional Court rulings, including the one of December 5, 2013. Referring to the fact that "any acts of the Constitutional Court providing interpretation for any constitutional texts have the force of law and are binding," the authors propose replacing the words 'the Moldovan language' with 'the Romanian language' in the texts of Moldovan laws.

"In order to enforce this law, the Legal Information Resources Agency within 30 days of the effective date will make amendments resulting from this bill to all the legislation of the Republic of Moldova, including the Constitution, with the State Register of Legal Acts," the document says.

The members of the parliamentary majority comprised of the Action and Solidarity party faction, as well as independent deputy Gaik Vartanean, who left the Party of Socialists and joined the National Alternative Movement led by Chisinau Mayor Ion Ceban, voted for the bill.

The parliament adopted the bill in its original wording despite the fact that the government had made a conclusion recommending that a draft be revisited so that it would not contradict the provisions on the revision of the constitution envisaged in the constitution itself.

The bill sparked criticism of the opposition's Bloc of Communists and Socialists. Members of the bloc hanged several banners on their stands in the parliament during the voting. They said earlier that if the bill is passed they will go to the Constitutional Court to challenge it.

The constitution states that constitutional amendments may be adopted "by two thirds of parliamentarians" and "not earlier than six months upon the registration of the relevant draft legislation and only if the Constitutional Court has issued a positive review." Under the Constitution of Moldova, "the Constitution may not be revised during periods such as state of emergency, state of siege or under martial law."

The authors of the bill, a group of deputies form the Action and Solidariy faction, in turn, believe that it envisages "the technical implementation" of the Constitutional Court's rulings, not an amendment to the constitution.

Until now, according to Article 13 of the Constitution of Moldova, "Moldovan language functioning on the basis of the Latin script" was the state language of the Republic of Moldova. The Moldovan Academy of Sciences decided that Romanian would be the correct name of the language. Romanian has been taught in all educational establishments of Moldova since 1992.