UPDATE. Moldova to hold snap election after president dissolves parliament. Moldovans ‘no longer hostages to predatory interests’

Inquam Photos / Adel Al-Haddad

 Moldova will hold snap parliamentary elections on July 11, after the president signed a decree dissolving Parliament.

The development came followed a ruling by the Constitutional Court earlier Wednesday that a decision by parliament to introduce a state of emergency in the former Soviet republic was unconstitutional.

That opened the way for an early parliamentary election which the pro-Western president was pressing for.

Predatory interests

„This evening I signed a decree to dissolve the Parliament and call snap elections on July 11. Moldovans can now elect their next leadership,” Maia Sandu said in a tweet. „They are no longer hostages to predatory interests. I thank all our partners for your trust and support for Moldova ‘s democratic future. .”

Flag of Moldova

Parliament declared a 60-day state of emergency in March in an effort to combat the coronavirus pandemic.


Earlier this month, the Constitutional Court ruled that Ms Sandu, a former World Bank economist, could dissolve the assembly as the state of emergency was unconstitutional.

Constitutional Court

Parliament then voted on April 23 to dismiss the head of the Constitutional Court. The U.S. State Department on Tuesday called the move “a blatant attack on Moldova’s democratic norms and its constitutional order.”

It said in a statement that parliament’s targeting of the Constitutional Court, „which only recently asserted its independence after years of state capture,” was of particular concern.

Ms Sandu, who came to office in November on a pro-European Union ticket, has accused the Socialist-dominated parliament of sabotaging her reform agenda and repeatedly pushed for snap elections in order to acquire a working majority in the 101-seat legislature.

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