Constitutional Court, the highest court in the country
In Pridnestrovie, the highest court of the country is called the Constitutional Court of the Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica. It deals with matters of constitutional justice and is similar to the U.S. Supreme Court. It forms part of an independent judiciary.
Despite ill-intentioned foreign allegations to the contrary, most Pridnestrovians feel that they live under a fair system of truly independent powers. Citizens in the country feel confident that their highest court does indeed do what it is there for: To uphold the country's Constitution.
A review of past case history reveals that the court is vigilant in defense of the Constitution, often contrary to the President, and on occasion overturning laws when it feels that the legislative branch is not doing its best. The current Constitutional Court of Pridnestrovie takes a strong defense of private property rights, among other things, and have in the past overturned tax laws when the court felt that they "disrupted the right to property" as guaranteed by article 37 of Pridnestrovie's constitution. Other laws which have promptly been nullified by the Supreme Courts have included laws with a retroactive reach and laws attempting to hand too much power to the executive. In Pridnestrovie, the court considers itself a watchdog for citizens' rights. In opinion polls among the population it is deemed one of the country's most trusted and impartial institutions.
Despite a rocky start, Pridnestrovie has strongly fortified the transparency of its democratic institutions in recent years; realizing that a reliable and objective independent judiciary is one of the most important components for a country which is trying to achieve a successful outcome of post-Soviet nation building.
The court system is based on Pridnestrovie's hundreds of years of European judicial traditions. Unlike nearby Moldova, which historically was under the sway of an islam-influenced Ottoman culture, Pridnestrovie has a long and illustrious history of being part of Poland, Lithuania and Russia, along with many German influences and even a sizeable Swiss immigration in its past. The Supreme Court of Pridnestrovie builds on centuries of shared Western culture and a Western legal tradition with respect for the rule of law.
