Political Crisis in Moldova: President dissolves parliament, calls snap election
Moldovan President Maia Sandu has dissolved the parliament and called for early elections. The decision came amidst the country’s ongoing political crisis and a standoff between the president and the parliamentary majority, which consists of the supporters of the former president, pro-Russian politician Igor Dodon.
“I signed a decree on the dissolution of parliament. With this decision, we have paved the way for citizens to be able to choose a new parliament that will serve the interests of the country and the people”, the Moldovan edition Ziarul de Gardă quotes President Maya Sandu.
The early parliamentary elections are scheduled for July 11, 2021.
Pro-European politician – 46-year-old Maia Sandu defeated incumbent President Igor Dodon in the presidential elections of November 2020.
However, the parliamentary majority belonged to the Socialist Party of Dodon and its allies from the Shor party.
In March 2021, parliament declared a state of emergency starting from April 1 amidst the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Opposition MPs then stated that the decision was aimed at preventing a possible dissolution of parliament since the dissolution during the state of emergency is prohibited by the country’s constitution.
However, on April 28, the Supreme Court of Moldova declared this decision unconstitutional and canceled the state of emergency, thus removing the obstacle to the dissolution of parliament and calling early elections.
Former President Igor Dodon, as well as the leaders of the parliamentary majority, accused the president of being irresponsible and said that they were not afraid of new elections and were ready to fight to win.
