Renato Usatii, the leader of “Our Party” and candidate for the Moldovan presidency, has submitted to the presidential administration and parliament a draft law banning the sale of land to foreigners. He demanded the adoption of a law that should guarantee that land will remain exclusively owned by the country’s citizens.

“Recently, European Union officials have said that Moldova should agree to liberalize the land market, including its sale to foreigners, during EU accession negotiations. Such an approach could seriously undermine the sovereignty and independence of our state, which is absolutely unacceptable, and no statements by politicians can guarantee the inalienability of our land, which belongs to the people of the Republic of Moldova. We do not question the sincerity of the recent statements of many MPs about the preservation of the right of land ownership exclusively for the citizens of the Republic of Moldova. In this context, we offer you the opportunity to confirm your words with deeds, by initiating the procedure of introducing appropriate amendments to the Constitution,” the letter says.

The proposed draft law provides for the addition of a clause to the Constitution stating that “land is the exclusive property of citizens of the Republic of Moldova” and that “the right of ownership of land may belong exclusively to citizens of the Republic of Moldova”. It is also proposed to insert into the Constitution a paragraph stating that “foreign citizens and stateless persons may not hold, in any form (possession, use or disposal), the right of ownership of land on the territory of the Republic of Moldova”.