Election of Supreme Court of Justice president fails

The Supreme Council of Magistrates did not manage again to elect the president of the Supreme Court of Justice. Two of the four applicants withdrew their candidacies. The other two candidates did not poll the necessary number of votes, Info-Prim Neo reports. The four initial candidates were Ion Muruianu, Nicolae Timofti, Raisa Botezatu and Constantin Gurschi. In the September 13 meeting of the Council, Nicolae Timofti announced he decided to withdraw his candidacy for personal reasons. Constantin Gurschi submitted an application to withdraw from the contest as he was recently elected as vice president of the Supreme Court of Justice. The meeting was not attended by candidate Ion Muruianu, who is a member of the Supreme Council of Magistrates, as he is on leave. It was decided that the members of the Council who applied for the post of Supreme Court of Justice president will not vote. “I do not agree with such a decision. The candidates in the parliamentary elections and mayoral elections have never been deprived of the right to vote,” chairman of the Supreme Council of Magistrates Nicolae Timofti stated later. As a result of secret voting, none of the two candidates garnered the necessary number of votes. “Raisa Botezatu polled two of the votes of the nine members of the Council attending, while Ion Muruianu obtained no vote. Seven votes were against both of the candidates,” informed judge of the Court of Appeals and Council member Dina Rotarciuc. The Council decided to announce a new contest to fill the post of Supreme Court of Justice president. The applications can be submitted within 30 days of the publication of the decision in the Official Gazette. Earlier, the Supreme Council of Magistrates made several attempts to elect the president of the Supreme Court of Justice, but every time the quorum was not present at the meeting.