“The Elections Will Help Resolve the Conflict between the Branches of Government.” The Constitutional Court Published Sandu's Appeal regarding the Dissolution of Parliament

On March 30, the Constitutional Court (CC) published an appeal by President Maia Sandu regarding the dissolution of parliament. In the document, Sandu refers to article 85 of the Constitution, according to which the head of state can dissolve the legislature if it “did not express a vote of confidence in the government within 45 days after the proposal was submitted, and only after the proposal was rejected at least twice”. Sandu also stressed that, according to the Constitution, the president can dissolve parliament if it is impossible to form a cabinet or block it within three months of adopting laws. According to Sandu's appeal, on December 23, 2020, the government of Ion Chicu resigned so that the authorities could initiate early parliamentary elections. After that, on December 28, the president held consultations with the deputies and appointed the first candidate for prime minister - Natalia Gavrilita. The candidate presented her program and team to parliament in February 2021, and the MPs rejected it. Further, on February 11, new consultations took place, and Sandu again appointed Gavrilita as a candidate for the post of prime minister, but on February 23, the Constitutional Court recognized the second presidential decree as unconstitutional and proposed to hold negotiations again. The third round of consultations with parliamentary factions took place on March 16, following which Sandu appointed a new candidate, Igor Grosu, and the Constitutional Court recognized the presidential decree as consistent with the Constitution. Grosu presented his program and team to parliament on March 25. Then the deputies from the PSRM and the Shor party left the meeting, and the speaker announced the absence of a quorum. “In accordance with Article 85 of the Constitution, this means a refusal to express a vote of confidence,” the appeal reads. Thereafter, Sandu consulted with the factions on the dissolution of parliament. “The three-month period necessary to appoint a new government starts from the date of the Chicu government's resignation, which means that it expired on March 23, 2021. Therefore, from March 24, the conditions for the dissolution of parliament come into force. In addition, on March 25, 2021, a 45-day period expired, during which the parliament received two attempts to express a vote of confidence to the Cabinet of Ministers,” the document emphasizes. “The dissolution of parliament and the holding of elections will allow voters to legally resolve the conflict between the branches of government,” Sandu said in his address.