The President of the Republican Party “Inima Moldovei”, Irina Vlah, announces that she will address the Venice Commission and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, following the decision of the Constitutional Court regarding the provisions of the Law on political parties concerning the exclusion of formations from elections. According to her, maintaining the contested provisions ignores the recommendations of European institutions.

During a press conference at IPN, the party leader stated that the Republic of Moldova risks straying from democratic standards and even being downgraded in international democracy rankings. She cited the Venice Commission’s opinion from March, which, according to her, states that a party cannot be excluded from elections nor can its activities be restricted solely on the basis of suspicions.

“Excluding a party from elections without proven violations does not mean democracy. Restricting the activities of a party based on fabricated false accusations does not mean rule of law. Ignoring the position of the Venice Commission does not mean European path”, mentioned Irina Vlah.

The leader of the “Inima Moldovei” Party maintains that the Constitutional Court’s decision affects the entire political class and could endanger the principles of free and fair elections, as well as the respect for the presumption of innocence, the right to defense and political pluralism.

Contacted by IPN for a reaction, representatives of the Constitutional Court stated that the institution will return later with a comment.

Note: The IPN Agency grants the right of reply to individuals who consider themselves to be the subject of news reports based on statements made by the organizers of this press conference, including by facilitating the organization of another press conference under similar conditions.