The General Assembly of Judges that takes place at the Botanica Court in Chisinau on Saturday started with a dispute over the election of a member of the Supreme Council of Magistrates at the previous meeting of October 31. The judges came together to elect two more members of the Council. At the start of the meeting, the president of the Supreme Court of Justice Ion Muruianu said one of the Council’s members, Anatol Turcanu, was not elected legally as he did not garner the necessary number of votes. “Under the law, the members of the Supreme Council of Magistrates are elected by a majority of votes. There were 379 ballots, two of which were invalid. Turcan obtained 189 votes in favor and was elected taking into account the number of valid votes, but this is not right,” he said. The given issue aroused heated discussions among the judges. Things calmed down only after Anatol Turcanu said he was ready for a revote. Thus, the judges are to elect three, not two members of the Council. After procedural discussions, the judges fielded 12 candidates for the post of member of the Council, including Turcanu and the former Council’s president Nicolae Clima. At about 13.00, the judges started to vote. The results are yet to be announced. A second round of voting will be then held. To be voted in, the candidates need at least 183 votes, which is 50%+1 of the 363 judges that attend the meeting. The General Assembly of Judges on October 31 elected three of its five representatives – judges Nicolae Timofti, Nichifor Corochii and Anatol Turcanu. On November 27, the Parlaiemnt named four titular members of the Supreme Council of Magistrates. These are law experts Alexandru Arseni, Boris Negru, Igor Dolea and Vasile Cretu. The Supreme Council of Magistrates consists of 12 members: five judges, four titular members, and three ex officio members – the president of the Supreme Court of Justice, the Minister of Justice and the Prosecutor General.