Respect for constitution and judicial independence are key for democracy, OSCE human rights head says

WARSAW, 27 April 2021 – Following a parliamentary move against a number of constitutional court judges in Moldova last week after an earlier court decision found the conditions had been met for the president to dissolve parliament, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) called for the country’s parliament to respect the independence of the judiciary.

“An independent justice system is at the very core of our democracies,” said ODIHR Director Matteo Mecacci. “Passing a vote of no confidence in judges and deciding not to recognize a decision of the constitutional court is entirely at odds with the rule of law. With this in mind, I am watching developments in Moldova with concern.”

Guaranteed tenure for judges is key to the principle of judicial independence, which all countries of the OSCE have committed to uphold. In addition, respect for court decisions is central to the concepts of legality and legal certainty, an essential element of the rule of law that lies at the heart of the democratic system.