Moldovan government notifies top court to ascertain circumstances justifying exercising interim duties of head of state to appoint defence minister

Chisinau, 19 October /MOLDPRES/  - The cabinet of ministers today held a special meeting, in order to approve a notification to the Constitutional Court (CCM) on the ascertaining of the circumstances for establishing the exercising of the interim duties of Moldova’s president, in the case of appointing the defence minister, the government’s communication and protocol department has reported.   

Thus, in line with the CCM Decision from 17 October 2017 on the interpretation of the Article 98, paragraph (6), in accordance with the Articles, 1, 56, 91, 135 and 140 of the Constitution, the government asked for the ascertaining of the circumstances which justify the exercising of the interim duties of Moldova’s president and establishing these interim duties, in order to ensure the exercising of the constitutional powers to appoint the candidate put forward by the prime minister for the position of defence minister.   

The notification approved today is needed, in order to overcome the institutional blockage triggered by the Moldovan president by the violation of the constitutional obligation of appointing to office the defence minister, at a repeated proposal by the prime minister.    

“We have a situation when the exercising of the interim duties of the president comes not for a period of time, but for a cause. And this cause is the appointment of the defence minister. Moldova is a parliamentary country and the president cannot trigger institutional blockages and political instability,” PM Pavel Filip said.  

It is worth mentioning that, on 12 September 2017, the prime minister put forward to the Moldovan head of state the candidacy of Eugen Sturza for the office of defence minister, turned down by the president. Subsequently, the prime minister put up the same candidature, repeatedly rejected by the head of state. Thus, on 19 September 2017, the cabinet appealed to the Constitutional Court to clear up the actions which can be undertaken by the prime minister and the decisions which can be passed by parliament, if the president refuses the repeated proposal on appointment of a minister to office.