CHISINAU, 21 Dec Deputies of the opposition Shor party will lose mandates of deputies of the Parliament of Moldova, if the political force is outlawed, said Minister of Justice Sergei Litvinenko.
Earlier, Litvinenko called for the liquidation of the opposition Shor party, which is holding mass anti-government rallies in Chisinau. He said that he had collected documents to appeal to the Constitutional Court. This request was approved by the government on 9 November. On November 14, the Constitutional Court began to study the materials of the case. The country's authorities requested an assessment of this initiative from the Venice Commission.
«If we assume that the Constitutional Court declares the party unconstitutional, then this decision must be implemented in full, that is, the deputies will have to lose their mandates, since it is impossible to recognize the unconstitutionality of the party and leave the deputies from this party in parliament,» Litvinenko said on the air of the Jurnal TV channel TV.
The minister does not yet know who exactly will decide what to do with the party's mandates — the Constitutional Court or Parliament, since this moment is not spelled out in the law.
The Shor party has been holding an indefinite protest action in Chisinau since September 18. The demonstrators are outraged by the unprecedented increase in prices for gas, other energy resources and food, as well as high inflation and falling living standards. The protesters accuse the authorities of failing to cope with the crisis, point to a record inflation over the past 20 years, which in September amounted to 33.97% on an annualized basis. The country's leadership is criticized for its unwillingness to negotiate better gas prices with Russia, as well as for political pressure on opposition representatives. The Moldovan authorities have repeatedly called for the liquidation of the Shor party, accusing it of illegal financing.
Numerous polls show that about 60% of the country's population doubt the possibility of the ruling Action and Solidarity party to stay in power for another three years before the next parliamentary elections. Also, about 70% of Moldovans are disappointed with the policy of the authorities and almost 65% support the idea of changing the government.