Representatives of the extraparliamentary opposition leveled harsh criticism at the ruling party after the Constitutional Court allowed representatives of the former Shor Party to run in elections, saying the situation could have been avoided if the government had asked earlier the Constitutional Court to determine the constitutionality of the party. For their part, representatives of the PAS said that Parliament on Wednesday adopted amendments to the Election Code to clearly stipulate the subjects to which the ban on standing as a candidate at elections applies, IPN reports.

On October 4, Parliament adopted amendments to the Election Code by which persons who are suspected, were charged or found guilty of offences, were earlier excluded from the electoral race following the violation of the principle of transparency or are on international sanctions lists are banned from standing as a candidate at elections. It happened after the Constitutional Court allowed representatives of a party that was declared unconstitutional to run in elections. The chairman of the Party of Change Ștefan Gligor said the blame for the created situation is borne by the CC, which didn’t explain what happens to the leaders of a party that is declared unconstitutional.

“I expected that the Constitutional Court would explain how this decision should be executed and would not only say that a legal entity is liquidated. Another party with 1,000 members can be easily registered during three days. The Court didn’t exclude Ilan Shor, Marina Tauber from the political life. What did these do? They swiftly created clones – the Chance, Revival – and fielded a bunch of independent candidates. Parliament had to act to fill this gap created by the Constitutional Court. It is the court’s blame as it should have explained the consequences for the private individuals who founded the party,” Ștefan Gligor stated in the program “Secrets of the Power” on JurnalTV channel.

In the same connection, Fadei Nagachevski, deputy chairman of the Party of Development and Consolidation of Moldova, said the CC judges took a correct decision, basing it also on a draft Venice Commission opinion on the issue.

“The draft opinion of the Venice Commission was already being circulated in the corridors of power and it was known that the appraisal of the law that amends the Election Code wasn’t favorable. Internally the Constitutional Court didn’t fulfill the political wish of the government. However, externally the Constitutional Court restored the appropriate attitude in the relations with the Venice Commission. Domnica Manole was designated as a member of the Venice Commission. Should she take into account the recommendations formulated by the Venice Commission when being a member of this?” said Fadei Nagachevski.

“This shame started from the crass incompetence of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova and from the serious neglecting of the time for acting. We had waited for three years for the government to request the Constitutional Court to declare this party unconstitutional. They delayed things a lot and gave this group time to strengthen itself and to grow its popular approval rating. This party was allowed to do everything it wanted in the elections in Gagauzia and Balti and the intervention was every time post-factum,” said the chairman of the Party “Dignity and Truth Platform” Dinu Plîngău.

For his part, the representative of the ruling party said that after CC allowed representatives of the former Shor Party to run in elections, Parliament shortened the list of subjects to which the ban on running in elections applies.

“We enter the election campaign and cannot wait until after the end of the election campaign to take a decision. We must prepare the campaign for everyone to enter this from equal positions and to prevent someone from persuading the people with sacks of money while others are making effort to persuade the people with principles and values. We must obstruct the access of those who were financed illegally. We now clearer stipulated the subjects that will not be allowed to run in elections and the period of the ban was reduced to three years,” said PAS MP Vasile Grădinaru.