The Moldovan Constitutional Court announced on Wednesday that all six of its judges were stepping down, ending a deadlock around the legitimacy of a new government made up both of a pro-EU and pro-Russian representatives.
The resignations were due to trouble caused be the court’s recent rulings. The court was found to have effectively reduced the amount of time parliamentary parties could negotiate a new government. The court was also found to be in violation of both its own procedures and equal party treatment when it temporarily suspended President Igor Dodon on June 9 and appointed an interim president in his place.
The Venice Commission opinion requested the court’s resignation, explaining that the Constitutional Court needed to be able to “maintain equal distance from all branches of power and to act as an impartial arbiter in case of collision between them,” while also remaining “consistent with its own case-law.”
The request for resignation was advanced by a coalition made up of organizations including Amnesty International Moldova, the Embassy of Human Rights, and Transparency International Moldova.
This move follows a June 20 decision by the President of the Constitutional Court, Mihai Poalelungi, to step down. Judge Veaceslav Zaporojan will serve as the temporary administrative President of the Court.
The affected court rulings have been reversed, and new judges are expected to be appointed by the Parliament, the Government, and the Superior Council of Magistracy.