The Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections requested the Constitutional Court to examine as a matter of urgency the application submitted by a group of MPs on July 20, concerning the interpretation of the Constitution’s provisions that refer to the guaranteeing of the rule of law by ensuring the right to vote, the right to be elected and the citizens’ right to take part in the administration of public affairs, IPN reports.

The Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections made a call to the president of the Constitutional Court Mihai Poalelungi, asking to immediately examine the application as the time that remained until the start of the electoral period prior to the parliamentary elections is insufficient for the legislative body to examine, elucidate and remove the causes that led to the invalidation of the results of the Chișinău local mayoral elections.

The call says that on July 12 the legislature empowered the legal commission for appointments and immunities to analyze the electoral legislation in accordance with the international standards on elections, as regards the preconditions and legal reasons for the invalidation of the Chișinău elections, including related to the use of social media and the proportionality of the applied penalties. Later, based on the adopted decision, Parliament will have to improve the relevant normative framework so as to ensure the integrity of the electoral process.

“The previous judgments and request of the Constitutional Court represent thematic elaborations for the rapid examination of the application with an immediate impact, without needing to amend the electoral legislation. Under the good practice in electoral matters of the Venice Commission, this is not recommended before the election campaign,” says the call.

The Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections asked for information about the application examination stage from the Constitutional Court.

The Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections consists of 35 Moldovan NGOs that aim to contribute to the development of democracy in the Republic of Moldova by promoting and holding free and fair elections.