Govt appeals to ECHR's Grand Chamber as to electing Moldovans with multiple citizenship

The Chisinau government has asked the Grand Chamber of the Court in Strasbourg to re-consider the decision finding the Moldovan law banning the election of the persons with multiple citizenship in public offices as unjust and non-proportionate. The Moldovan government's representative at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Vladimir Grosu, has stated for Info-Prim Neo that the application was lodged with the ECHR in the evening of February 17. The deadline for submitting the request expires Wednesday, Februay 18. According to the governmental agent, a board of 5 ECHR judges is to study if the appeal complies with the criteria to be considered by the Grand Chamber. Law 273 was sued by Dorin Chirtoaca, the mayor of Chisinau and by lawyer Alexandru Tanase, a Chisinau councilor, both having Romanian citizenship. On November 18, the ECHR publicized its decision on the case of Tanase and Chirtoaca versus Moldova. According to the ECHR's findings, Moldova is the only country in the Council of Europe, which, although allowing the multiple citizenship, bans the holders to be eligible for public positions, including for the position of a parliamentarian. This is surprising especially because in 2002 and 2003, the Government allowed the dual citizenship, without mentioning eventual restrictions concerning the political rights.