Moldovan judges elect members to supervisory board

Nearly all 440 Moldovan judges – an unprecedented attendance according to organizers – gathered Saturday at the Republic Palace in Chisinau to elect five members of the Superior Magistracy Council for 4-year terms, Info-Prim Neo reports. Only five out of twelve members of the Council are elected by the community of judges, as four are appointed by Parliament from among active professors, and the remaining three are ex officio members – the Minister of Justice, the Prosecutor General and the Chair of the Supreme Court. The new members of the Council will assume offices on November 12, when the terms of the old members are due to expire. Under recent amendments, Superior Council members shall suspend their practice in court for the duration of the term. The rule also applies to administrative office holders. Speaking at the judges' convention, Justice Minister Alexandru Tanase said the election of the Superior Council members is part of the reform of the judiciary, as the role of the Council is regarded as crucial in establishing professional and ethic standards. “We will not transform these meetings into retaliation against the judges”, he added. 15 candidates were proposed to the five seats available. To become a member of the Superior Magistracy Council, a candidate must earn the votes of more than a half of those attending. Each judge elects five out of 15 candidates on the ballot – Nicolae Timofti, Ion Timofei, Gheorghe Balan, Viorica Puică, Andrei Plămădeală, Tudor Popovici, Aliona Danilova, Anatol Ţurcanu, Iurie Iordan, Mihai Gavriliţă, Nicolae Clima, Dina Rotarciuc, Svetlana Gaitas, Nichifor Gorochi şi Valentin Verejan. The vote started at 13:45. A runoff round will be held, also on Saturday, if the first fails to produce winners. The last convention of this kind, in 2005, lasted until midnight.