The website of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe published a declaration by PACE members condemning the regime ruling in Moldova

The declaration refers to the disregard by the Moldovan authorities of the PACE resolution on the reform of justice and the development of democratic institutions, adopted in January 2023. The PACE members state that the implementation of the prevetting procedure and justice reform has failed. They cite as examples the scandalous case of Iulian Munteanu, who “passed through the filters of the Prevetting Commission, although he is a defendant in a criminal case”.

In addition, the PACE deputies pointed to “the unprecedented decision of the Moldovan President to dismiss the Prosecutor General Alexandru Stoianoglo, despite the ongoing consideration of his case in the national courts and the ECHR”.

All this, according to the PACE deputies, “demonstrates the failure of the prevetting procedure and justice reform”. Parliamentarians from different countries also pointed to the ruling party’s gross violation of the recommendations of the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission. “The authorities changed the electoral legislation in the pre-election period, contrary to the requirement prohibiting any changes in the electoral legislation during the year before the elections,” the PACE said in a declaration published on its website.

The fact that “the ruling party illegally launched its campaign for local elections before the start of the electoral period” did not go unnoticed by the PACE deputies. The declaration calls on the authorities to carry out reforms in accordance with the rule of law and Council of Europe standards. Special attention is paid to the need to involve the parliamentary opposition and civil society in the reform process. The PACE deputies directly link this necessity to the situation in Moldova on the eve of the local, presidential and parliamentary elections.

The Declaration was signed by parliamentarians from 13 European countries. They represent different PACE political groups. One of the signatories was the former chairman of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Stefan Schennach.
Source: Pace