Republic of Moldova - March 2024

The General Prosecutor competition process in Moldova was abruptly cancelled on 28 February after anomalous scores by a single member of the Special Counsel of Prosecutors (SCP) were discovered, which appeared to have decisively changed the results of the process. The office has been de facto vacant since 2021, and having a new General Prosecutor in place by March 2024 was a specific condition of the EU accession process and seen as a test of the ability of the government to go through with significant justice sector reforms. Moldova’s Anti-Corruption Prosecutor has opened a criminal investigation to determine if Olesia Virlan, the SCP member whose anomalous scores led to the selection of Deputy Acting General Prosecutor Igor Demciucin over Acting General Prosecutor Ion Munteanu, was involved in wrongdoing. Following the revelations, the SCP removed Demciucin from his post upon accusations by Munteanu and other candidates that he and Virlan had attempted to rig the selection process.

Sources: Balkan Insight, MoldPres News Agency, Moldova Matters

Moldova’s Constitutional Court ruled on 27 March that a ban on members of the dissolved Shor Party running for parliament was unconstitutional. The Court’s ruling that dissolved the party itself and barred its leaders for running from office for five years – including Shor, who lives in Israel to avoid serving a 15-year criminal sentence – remains in force. Shor welcomed the ruling and questioned the validity of November’s local elections, which were held under the ban. The speaker of Moldova’s parliament indicated the parliament would respect the court’s ruling but “will not allow criminal groups to take control of the electoral process and undermine democracy in Moldova.”

Sources: Balkan Insight, The Insider, Politico, International IDEA