Against people’s will, the Plahotniuc-Dodon cartel has decided to use the politically controlled justice system to bring through the back door their own mayor and completely ignore the backbone of every democracy: the right to vote.   Only in an authoritarian country, can the judiciary ignore without reason the will of the people resulting from a democratic election. It is obvious that the election of Andrei Nastase as the capital mayor of Moldova was an unpleasant surprise for the Plahotniuc-Dodon alliance. Against people’s will, the Plahotniuc-Dodon cartel has decided to use the politically controlled justice system to bring through the back door their own mayor and completely ignore the backbone of every democracy: the right to vote. The situation has never been worse than today. It is clear that the Plahotniuc-Dodon gang are capable of anything just to retain control of the country. The European Union cannot support or finance such cartels The Republic of Moldova has committed through the Association Agenda to substantially improve the independence of the judiciary and strengthen the rule of law. The decision made yesterday to invalidate the results of the elections and the will of the citizens of Chisinau casts serious doubts on the commitment of the Moldovan authorities to advance reforms.   All institutions of the European Union have previously expressed the importance of functioning democratic mechanisms in Moldova, such as the multi-party system. Yesterday’s decision stands as proof that Moldovan authorities did not undertake sufficient efforts to gain the trust of international partners in the functioning of the Moldovan institutions. Governments and politicians should always exercise their power with great caution within their constitutional mandate. Any threats to the balance of power in Moldova endangers the European path of the Republic of Moldova. sourcepost  

#Moldovans #protest after court voids #mayoral #election result

    By Alexander Tanas CHISINAU (Reuters) – Moldovans are staging daily protests in the capital Chisinau to demand the reversal of a court ruling invalidating the election of a pro-European candidate in the city’s mayoral race. The June 19 ruling has drawn a sharp rebuke from the United States and the European Union. It also spells more political turmoil for a country that plunged into crisis following a $1 billion banking fraud in 2015, enduring successive government collapses and frequent conflict between the president and the government. Graft scandals in the ex-Soviet country have dragged down confidence in Moldova’s pro-Western political forces and lifted support for politicians backed by Moscow. Having elected a pro-Russian president in 2016, Moldovans go to the polls for parliamentary elections in November. On Tuesday, a court ruled that Andrei Nastase’s electoral win in the June 3 vote was illegitimate, citing unspecified violations. Hundreds of citizens have since taken to the streets to protest. Nastase, who has led a movement demanding greater transparency since the banking fraud in 2015, said the court decision was made at the behest of the head of Moldova’s ruling party, businessman Vlad Plahotniuc. “His candidate suffered a crushing defeat. Now he wants to steal our votes and annul the election by means of an obedient Plahotniuc-Dodon cartel have robbed Moldovan citizens of their last democratic right