The court had postponed making a ruling four times. And the decision this week has current political implcations, as it effectively bars Chairman of the Social Democratic Party, Liviu Dragnea, from becoming Prime Minister as a result of his conviction last year for vote rigging. Mr Dragnea, who is a popular choice for the leading political role among many Social Democrats, has called the law unfair.

First introduced in 2001

The law was first introduced in 2001 as Romania prepared for membership of NATO and the European Union but in January, Romania's ombudsman asked the court to declare it unconstitutional.