FOURTH SECTION
DECISION
Application no. 31766/17
Cătălin PÂNTEA
against Romania
The European Court of Human Rights (Fourth Section), sitting on 23 November 2023 as a Committee composed of:
Faris Vehabović, President,
Anja Seibert-Fohr,
Anne Louise Bormann, judges,
and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,
Having regard to the above application lodged on 12 May 2017,
Having deliberated, decides as follows:
FACTS AND PROCEDURE
The applicant, Mr Cătălin Pântea, was born in 1974.
The applicant’s complaint under Article 3 of Protocol No. 1 to the Convention concerning the inability to vote in legislative elections despite his right to vote not being restricted by a court order for the sole reason that, on the date of the elections, he was serving sentence in a prison situated outside the electoral constituency of his place of residence, was communicated to the Romanian Government (“the Government”), who submitted observations on the admissibility and merits. The observations were forwarded to the applicant, who was invited to submit his own observations. No reply was received to the Registry’s letter.
By letter dated 8 August 2023, sent by registered post, the applicant was notified that the period allowed for submission of his observations had expired on 20 July 2023. The applicant’s attention was drawn to Article 37 § 1 (a) of the Convention, which provides that the Court may strike an application out of its list of cases where the circumstances lead to the conclusion that the applicant does not intend to pursue the application. The applicant received that letter on 28 August 2023. No response followed.
THE LAW
In the light of the foregoing, and in the absence of any special circumstances regarding respect for the rights guaranteed by the Convention and the Protocols thereto, the Court, in accordance with Article 37 § 1 (a) of the Convention, considers that it is no longer justified to continue the examination of the application.
Accordingly, the case should be struck out of the list.
For these reasons, the Court, unanimously,
Decides to strike the application out of its list of cases.
Done in English and notified in writing on 14 December 2023.
Viktoriya Maradudina Faris Vehabović
Acting Deputy Registrar President
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