Parliament Speaker Zinaida Grechanyi addressed a letter to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe (CoE) Marija Pejcinovic, asking “to mediate the situation created in the Republic of Moldova, where President Maia Sandu is trying to usurp the power in the state”. The letter notes there are no circumstances for dissolving Parliament, but the President insists on this, contrary to the constitutional provisions, IPN reports.

“In the actions of the President of the Republic of Moldova, we ascertain an attempt to violate her constitutional obligations as a neutral power, institutional stalemates with unpredictable consequences for democracy and the rule of law being created,” runs the letter.

Contacted by IPN for a comment, the spokeswoman for the presidential administration Sorina Ștefârță said the CoE knows very well the situation in the Republic of Moldova and knows who generated and continues to generate democratic backsliding in the country. “The snap elections that the party of Missis Grechanyi wants to avoid at any cost are an important element of the democratic process and actually represent the will of the citizens who want to get rid of discredited and corrupt politicians,” stated the spokeswoman.