CHISINAU. Dec 7 (Interfax) - The Moldovan Constitutional Court has suspended the law on the Security and Intelligence Service that limits the powers of the country's President-elect Maia Sandu, the court's press service said on Monday.
The Constitutional Court agreed to review a request to this effect submitted on Friday by parliamentarian from the Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), which is led by Sandu, Sergiu Litvinenco, the press service said.
"The Constitutional Court has suspended the law that amends the law on the Security and Intelligence Service until the Constitutional Court of Moldova reviews the request and adopts a final decision," it said.
On December 3, the Moldovan parliament reduced the president's powers by resubordinating the Security and Intelligence Service to the parliament. The newly-formed parliamentary majority passed the decision at the initiative of MPs from the Party of Socialists, which is headed by incumbent President Igor Dodon, in two readings, without putting it up for discussion at a plenary session.
The majority currently consists of the parliamentary factions of the Party of Socialists (PSRM) and the Shor Party and numbers 51 of the 101 members. The opposition did not take part in the vote, trying to disrupt the parliamentary session.
The legislation stipulates that the Security and Intelligence Service shall from now on report to the parliament and the parliament shall appoint the director of the Security and Intelligence Service and two of his or her deputies. The bill came under fierce criticism from the country's right-wing parties and President-elect Sandu, who dismissed this initiative as an "attempt to usurp power."
When outgoing President Igor Dodon was taking office in 2016, the parliament resubordinated the Security and Intelligence Service to itself at the suggestion of then-oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc. This decision was harshly criticized by the PSRM at the time. In summer 2019, members of a coalition made up of the PSRM and Sandu's bloc of parties put the service back under the president's control, but now it will be reporting to the parliament again.