TĂNASE v. MOLDOVA JUDGMENT
1
In the case of Tănase v. Moldova,
The European Court of Human Rights, sitting as a Grand Chamber
composed of:
Peer Lorenzen, President,
Françoise Tulkens,
Josep Casadevall,
Ireneu Cabral Barreto,
Corneliu Bîrsan,
Rait Maruste,
Vladimiro Zagrebelsky,
Elisabeth Steiner,
Dean Spielmann,
Sverre Erik Jebens,
Ján Šikuta,
Dragoljub Popović,
Isabelle Berro-Lefèvre,
Päivi Hirvelä,
George Nicolaou,
Zdravka Kalaydjieva,
Mihai Poalelungi, judges,
and Michael O’Boyle, Deputy Registrar,
Having deliberated in private on 16 September 2009 and on 10 March
2010,
Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on the lastmentioned date:
PROCEDURE
1. The case originated in an application (no. 7/08) against the Republic
of Moldova lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for
the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the
Convention”) by two Moldovan and Romanian nationals, Mr Alexandru
Tănase and Mr Dorin Chirtoacă (“the applicants”), on 27 December 2007.
2. The applicants were represented by Ms J. Hanganu, a lawyer
practising in Chişinău. The Moldovan Government (“the Government”)
were represented by their Agent, Mr V. Grosu.
3. The applicants alleged, in particular, a breach of their right to stand as
candidates in free elections and to take their seats in Parliament if elected,
thus ensuring the free expression of the opinion of the people in the choice
of the legislature as guaranteed by Article 3 of Protocol No. 1. They also
complained under Article 14 taken in conjunction with Article 3 of Protocol
No. 1.