The Constitutional Court deemed unconstitutional the December 16 elections because the secrecy of the vote was violated. The Parliament’s decision whereby new elections were set for January 15 was also declared unconstitutional, Info-Prim Neo reports. The Court ruled that Articles 1, 2 and 78 of the Constitution were flagrantly violated in the elections of December 16 and this could influence the final election outcome. The Court took such a decision following an application filed by MP Mihai Godea, who asked the Court to rule on the legality of the December 16 elections. Mihai Godea said the Court’s decision was a historical one, stressing the political class is now obliged to initiate public debates to overcome the political crisis. He added that this decision helped avoid confusion in the electoral practice. “The decision clearly says that the entire voting procedure must be secret, from the moment the MPs take the ballot until they throw it into the ballot box,” said the president of the Constitutional Court Alexandru Tanase. “It is an obligation of the MPs, not a right to keep the secrecy of the vote,” he stated. He also said that the legislative body must set the date of ordinary elections. “I see no impediment for the Parliament to fix the date of the elections even tomorrow,” said Alexandru Tanase. There is no deadline by which the legislature must fix the date of ordinary presidential elections. The Parliament’s representative to Court Sergiu Chirica did not comment on the decision. Given the decision taken by the Constitutional Court, the new presidential elections set for January 15 will not take place.