The entire Constitutional Court has quit, with judge Veaceslav Zaporojan remaining as its caretaker president to handle administrative affairs until the relevant authorities appoint replacements, according to a brief announcement posted on the Court’s website.

President Igor Dodon welcomed the resignation as “a wise, albeit belated decision”. “This was the only reasonable solution in the current circumstances, and it was long-awaited, and not only nationally”, Dodon posted on Facebook.

The president expects Parliament, the Government and the Superior Council of Magistrates to nominate new judges “as a matter of urgency”.

“I trust the new composition of the Constitutional Court will be independent and will carry out the noble mission of guaranteeing the rule of law; will only obey the Constitution and will steer clear at all cost of any political influence and backstage agreements”, said Dodon, adding that candidates to replace the CC vacancies should be selected based on criteria like integrity, professionalism, unimpeachable reputation, and objectivity.

Prime minister Maia Sandu declared that the resignation “was the only way out for a bunch of judges that brought disgrace upon the Constitutional Court, and upon entire Moldova at an international level.”

Mihai Poalelungi resigned as president of the Constitutional Court last Thursday, just one day before the Venice Commission issued an opinion criticizing the court for not respecting “its own procedures nor the principle of equality of the parties when dealing with the recent political crisis” in Moldova.