Igor Dodon strips Traian Basescu of Moldovan citizenship

Republic of Moldova President Igor Dodon has signed on Tuesday the decree to withdraw the citizenship for former Romanian President Traian Basescu, local media inform. The document refers only to Traian Basescu and not to his wife Maria Basescu.

“I’ve signed the decree to withdraw the R. of Moldova citizenship from Mr. Traian Basescu,” Igor Dodon wrote on his Facebook page.

“Previously, as deputy of Moldova’s parliament, I said the citizenship has been granted illegally. Traian Basescu repeatedly called for cancelling the statehood of R. of Moldova by annexation to Romania. Ever since during his presidency, he refused to recognise the Moldovan statehood and the existence of the Moldovan people,” Dodon wrote.

“All these are contrary to the supreme law – the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova. More so, during the procedures of granting the Moldovan citizenship, countless notifications from several institutions were ignored, including the existence of a criminal investigation,” the new Moldovan President wrote.

Dodon added that respect for R. of Moldova, for his people, for history, for independence and sovereignty will continue to be the basic concerns during his term in office.

The President of Republic of Moldova Igor Dodon announced on December 26 he would strip former Romanian head of state Traian Basescu of Moldovan citizenship by year-end. Dodon announced he will cancel the decree signed by his predecessor Nicolae Timofti.

“This decree, signed by violating the legal framework – as all notifications from the state institutions were negative – this decree will be cancelled by year-end,” Igor Dodon said.

On November 3, Traian Basescu and his wife Maria Basescu were sworn in as Moldovan citizens at the Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in Bucharest, on November 13 they voted for the presidential elections in neighbouring Moldova.

Former Romanian President Traian Basescu said on November 15 that he would sue the Moldovan president-elect Igor Dodon if the latter withdrew his Moldovan citizenship. “I am not afraid. I’ll sue him. Dodon has already lost the case against me on this topic at the Constitutional Court,” the former head of state said.

Traian Basescu received the Moldovan citizenship in June, after having filed for the Moldovan citizenship in March, but it was only on November 3 that he could actually sworn in because the Socialist leader Igor Dodon, now the president of the Republic of Moldova, had challenged the former Moldova president Nicolae Timofti’s decree granting Basescu the Moldovan citizenship.