The Constitutional Court is set to rule on Thursday on the complaints regarding the constitutionality of some provisions of the Law on the special legal status of Gagauzia and the Electoral Code. The final arguments of the parties took place on Wednesday, reports IPN.
The State Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Mihai Gheorghies, pointed out that the notification does not target the autonomy of Gagauzia, but the mechanisms through which regional authorities can condition the appointment of state officials. According to him, consultation and cooperation are compatible with the Constitution, however, prior agreement or mandatory proposal transforms the duties of central authorities into politically conditioned competencies at the regional level.
The official further stated that the constitutional provision regarding the three-fifths vote for amending the Gagauzia status law represents a procedural guarantee, but does not exclude constitutional control.
In turn, the lawyer of the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia, Iurie Margineanu, stated that the contested norms do not transfer decision-making powers to autonomy, as the appointment and dismissal of the heads of the targeted structures remain exclusively under the jurisdiction of the central authorities. In his opinion, the role of the People’s Assembly and the governor is limited to proposing candidates and does not affect the sovereignty of the state.
The Constitutional Court has connected the notification of the Gagauz People’s Assembly regarding some provisions of the Electoral Code with the one previously submitted by the Ministry of Justice. The GPA contests the norms related to the organization of the electoral authority in the autonomy, while the Ministry of Justice requests the verification of the provisions that assign the Assembly a role in the establishment of the regional electoral body and in the appointment procedures of the leadership of the territorial structures of the Police, SIS and the Justice Directorate in Gagauzia.
