"The Democratic Party and its leader Vladimir Plahontiuc who seized power in the country have recognized their defeat. But this is not an ultimate victory," he said, adding that it is too early to "rest content with that."

"I would like to congratulate you on the victory, although symbolic, over the usurpers of power," he told a briefing in parliament on Friday, commenting on the Democratic Party’s decision to go into opposition and send the Pavel Filip government to resignation.

CHSINAU, June 14. /TASS/. Moldovan President Igor Dodon has congratulated the nation on the victory, although symbolic, "over the usurpers of power" in the country.

"The Filip government cannot resign as it has been illegitimate since June 8. The constitution has it that once a new cabinet is elected the mandate of the previous one expires. It means that they have been occupying their positions illegally for all this time, having usurped power in the country," the Moldovan president explained. "At the end of last week, the parliament passed a declaration saying that power in the country had been usurped by the Constitutional Court as well." This position, according to Dodon, "is shared by the country’s international partners and the overwhelming majority of its population."

He called on the Constitutional Court to revise its previous illegal rulings. Otherwise, he warned, it will be done by other court judges who would be appointed by the new parliament and government.

Earlier in the day, deputy leader of the Democratic Party Vladimir Cebotari announced the party’s decision to go into opposition. However, in his words, this move and the Pavel Filip cabinet’s resignation cannot be seen as a solution to the "problem of legal and constitutional blocking," as the Constitutional Court had ruled to dissolve the parliament and recognized its decisions, including on the Sandu government, as illegal.

A source in the party told TASS earlier that the decision had been taken after a visit to the party’s office by US Ambassador to Chisinau Dereck Hogan. The party leaders, in his words, had never stopped to hope for Washington’s support in the confrontation with the president, parliament and the Sandu cabinet, but received none.

Political crisis in Moldova

Moldova’s parliament has been trying to establish the ruling coalition and form the government since the February elections. Only on June 8, the Party of Socialists supporting Moldovan President Igor Dodon finally managed to reach agreement with the pro-EU bloc Acum (Now) to oppose the Democratic Party led by oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc, which controlled the former parliament and the cabinet. The leader of the Party of Socialists Zinaida Greceanii was elected the parliament’s speaker, and the government was formed with Maia Sandu, the leader of the Party of Action and Solidarity, a part of the Acum bloc, as the prime minister.

The Democratic Party refused to recognize the new government and filed a request with the Constitutional Court, which ruled that the parliament’s resolutions were illegitimate as the parliament had failed to form the government within a period of 90 days in conformity with law (from March 9 when the lawmakers received their mandates).

After that, the Constitutional Court authorized acting Prime Minister and member of the Democratic Party Pavel Filip to sign a decree on the parliament’s dissolution instead of the president. President Dodon described this step as an attempt to usurp power.

Russia, the European Union, the United States and other countries and international organizations have expressed concern over the political crisis in Moldova and declared their readiness to cooperate with that country’s parliament and new cabinet.

Nevertheless, the Democratic Party leavers summoned their supporters from regions to the capital city Chisinau. They blocked entrances to the government building and other state institutions, which triggered a political crisis in the country amid duality of power.