The Government asked the Constitutional Court (CC) to interpret Article 98, par. (6) of the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova and determine the actions that can be taken by the Premier and the decisions that can be adopted by Parliament if the President of the Republic of Moldova rejects the candidate for minister the second time. A decision to this effect was taken in a special meeting of the Cabinet on September 19. The move follows the refusal by President Igor Dodon to sign the decree to name the deputy chairman of the European People’s Party of Moldova Eugen Sturza, who was proposed by the government coalition, as minister of defense.

Prime Minister Pavel Filip took part in the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly that was held in New York during September 19 – 22. The Premier called on the delegates of the states participating in the session to support Moldova’s request to include the pullout of the foreign military troops from its territory in the session’s agenda. In his speech, the Premier said the illegal stay of the Russian troops on Moldova’s territory amplifies the Transnistrian conflict. Pavel Filip noted there are no religious or ethnic antagonisms between the people living on the two sides of the Nistru and the population can coexist peacefully in a reunified state. “We firmly reiterate the request to fully and unconditionally pull out the so-called Operational Group of Russian Troops that is the successor of the former 14th Army and that stays illegally on Moldova’s territory,” said the Moldovan Premier.

The Cabinet on September 19 re-confirmed Lilia Palii as secretary general of the Government following a contest to fill the given post. Lilia Palii has worked in the public administration for 25 years. She occupied the post of secretary general of the Government on September 14, 2016.

Eight bills that were sent back by President Igor Dodon to Parliament for reexamination were adopted again in the same form by the MPs on September 21. The parliamentary alliance passed again, by 55 votes, the following draft laws: the bill on energy that offers financial independence to the National Agency for Energy Regulation; the bill to modify the role and status of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova and to transfer the research and innovation areas under components of the executive power; the bill to amend and supplement Labor Code articles that regulate labor relations; the bills on meal vouchers, state awards and terrorism fighting, and the bills to amend the law on the Government, the law on territorial-administrative organization, the roads law and the Tax Code. The President of the Republic of Moldova is now obliged to promulgate the laws that were adopted again by Parliament.

MPs of the European People’s Party of Moldova (PPEM) drafted a proposal to amend the Penal Code so that high-ranking officials could be held accountable for the non-implementation of court decisions or Constitutional Court judgments. In a press release published on September 22, the party says they propose amending Article 320 of the Penal Code by introducing a paragraph by which to make the Constitutional Court judgments mandatory for implementation. If these are not executed intentionally, the persons to blame will be punished criminally. According to the PPEM, if the bill is adopted by Parliament, President Igor Dodon could be penalized and would be fined up to 35,500 lei, would be made to do up to 200 hours of community service or would be jailed for at most two years.

Selection by Sabina Rebeja