Communists challenge Ghimpu’s election as parliament speaker in Constitutional Court, UPDATE

{Adds paragraphs 6,7 and 8.} The Communists Party (PCRM) on Tuesday has filed a request with the Constitutional Court challenging the legality of the election of the Liberal Party’s leader Mihai Ghimpu as speaker of the Moldovan Parliament. The Communists are seeking a fast-track hearing of their appeal, Info-Prim Neo reports. The request was filed by PCRM’s lawyer Sergiu Sarbu and the MPs Vladimir Turcan and Maria Postoico. “We have notified the Constitutional Court requesting an examination of the constitutional content of the Parliament’s decision of August 28. We believe a number of articles of the Moldovan Parliament’s Regulation, as well as of the Constitution of our country, were violated”, says Sarbu. The Constitutional Court has three months to hear the appeal. “Bearing in mind the importance of the subject in question, we’ve asked for a fast-track procedure. But it’s up to the Court to decide. We’d like to hear an answer by September 4”, said Sarbu. Sarbu added the Communists would comply with any decision of the Court as all of its pronouncements are irreversible. Mihai Ghimpu was elected speaker on August 28, by the vote of the majority Alliance for European Integration (AEI), and in the absence of the Communists MPs, who walked out immediately after the speech of the chief of the Constitutional Court on the validation of the July 29 elections. Leonid Bujor, a member of parliament representing the Moldova Noastra Alliance (which is part of the AEI) and also a lawyer, stated in a broadcast on Vocea Basarabiei Radio that the decisions adopted on August 28 by the parliamentary majority were perfectly legal and was surprised by the Communists’ appeal. “The Constitutional Court examines only documents of legislative nature, but in this case we talk about the establishment of Parliament, an organizational procedure and an internal affair of Parliament. The Parliament’s Regulation doesn’t stipulate the condition that Parliament is inaugurated only after the establishment of the factions; this is merely a formal procedure of announcing the contact persons from each political group that entered the parliament”, said Bujor. Lawyer Alexandru Tasnase, also a MP representing the AEI, has told the same program on Vocea Basarabiei that the country faces a deep crisis and there is no time to wait until this situation is solved. Tanase reiterated the legality of Ghimpu’s election and urged the Communists to act in “strict conformity with the law”.