On Saturday 24 April, the spokesperson of the European External Action Service (EEAS) noted the need for all political actors in Moldova to respect the decisions of the Constitutional Court.
“The independence of the Constitutional Court is essential for guaranteeing the Rule of law and democratic mechanisms”, he said in a statement.
The day before, Moldovan parliamentary deputies from the Party of the Socialists, the Shor Party and For Moldova group voted no confidence in three Constitutional Court judges, declaring invalid the appointment of Judge Domnica Manole, which was made 2 years ago. They also did not recognise the Constitutional Court's decision of 15 April regarding the conditions for dissolving Parliament.
“Parliament and the executive power must, therefore, respect the role of the Constitutional Court as the ‘gatekeeper of the Constitution’, even when they are dissatisfied with its decisions”, the spokesperson said. In his view, therefore, the votes and statements made on 23 April constitute “a blatant attack on the constitutional order” of Moldova and an attempt to undermine the Rule of law.
The President of the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission, Gianni Buquicchio, called the events “very alarming”.
He called on Parliament to repeal its unconstitutional declaration and decisions, and to respect past and future decisions of the Constitutional Court, even if it disagrees with them.
“Parliament and the executive power must respect the role of the Constitutional Court as 'guardian of the Constitution', even when they are dissatisfied with its decisions or if they believe the Court has made a mistake”, he explained. “A decision of the Constitutional Court that does not satisfy the legislative or executive powers does not constitute an abuse of power or an arbitrary decision”, Buquicchio also noted. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)