U.S. says Moldova vote to remove judge an attack on democratic norms

FILE PHOTO: Moldova's national flags are seen in central Chisinau, Moldova January 19, 2019. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department said on Monday the Moldovan parliament's vote to sack the head of the constitutional court was a "blatant attack on Moldova’s democratic norms and its constitutional order."

Friday's vote came after the tribunal backed a call for a snap election by President Maia Sandu, who came to office in November on a pro-European Union ticket and is likely to complicate a standoff between the president and a parliament still dominated by lawmakers aligned with her pro-Russian predecessor.