Of the series of IPN interviews with all the candidates for mayor general of Chisinau municipality: Maxim Braila, candidate of the People’s Party.
– What made you run for the mayoralty of Chisinau municipality?
– I always care. I took part in different social activities and saw that Chisinau has a lot of problems to solve. These made me run independently for the post of municipal councilor in Chisinau in 2011. It was my first serious political experience. I was only 18. This year’s local elections are for me a platform for communicating with the people. I want to encourage the young people to take part in the political life and in the decision-making process as they have innovatory ideas. We are the future of this country. Regrettably, the young people were mainly absent from the previous elections and this has an impact – we have corrupt people who are not wanted in the posts.
– Why do you think you should be voted in the May 20 elections?
– The people are disappointed with the created situation. The pensioners became poorer and the young people leave the country. I represent the young people and those who became disappointed in the political class. The people do not have who to vote for, while the rest of the candidates have serious problems as regards the integrity. I’m from Chisinau and feel on my own skin the degradation of the city. I do not form part of the system and want to contribute to the development of our city. Time has come for the young people to show what they can.
– Which are the most pressing three problems in Chisinau and how quickly can they be solved?
– The non-professionalism of the functionaries of the City Hall and irrational spending of funds is the biggest problem of Chisinau. So far, most of the functionaries were appointed according to political criteria, not for their professionalism. This resulted in other serious problems, such as the poor state of the roads, public transport of a poor quality and lack of waste recycling plants.
– What solutions do you suggest for the mentioned problems?
– The “nepotism” should be immediately eliminated from the bodies of the City Hall. We will implement clear and transparent selection, assessment and promotion procedures in the case of public functionaries. I will periodically initiate an external audit of the subdivisions of the City Hall. To solve the problems of public transport and waste in the city, corruption should be rooted out from the bodies of the City Hall. We can do this by digitizing the process of managing Chisinau. This way we will be able to monitor the activity of the City Hall, the transparency of payments, filing of petitions and applications and the activity of the councilors who receive allowances from our budget. This way the budget will rise and we will be able to provide high-quality transport services for all the inhabitants, clean yards and good roads.
– How will the pay parking spaces project end, in your opinion?
– The parking lots in the city should be managed by the City Hall. This will bring additional resources to the budget. These resources will be used to ensure the appropriate quality of local infrastructure.
– What solutions do you suggest for the waste problem?
– Many persons during many years have spoken about the existence of projects to build a waste processing plant and to rehabilitate the Wastewater Treatment Plant. Moreover, they say that tender contests were held to choose the contractors, but nothing has been dome during tens of years. The existing waste dumps destroyed several communities and the health of hundreds of people. This problem should be solved swiftly. In six months, I will initiate the construction of a waste processing plant.
– What is the stake of the upcoming elections?
– The stake of these elections is to encourage the young people, their parents and grandparents to take part in the elections as only about half of the voters put on electoral rolls cast their ballots in the last elections. As a result, the fate of election winners is decided by about 25% of the inhabitants of Chisinau. Therefore, the mayor does not promote the interests of the whole community. Beyond the programs, solutions and sector improvements promised by the candidates, the May 20 elections will be decisive for the inhabitants of Chisinau and will show the capacity to mobilize the citizens to vote.
– Is the City Hall a trampoline for obtaining higher posts? Do you see yourself in big politics?
– Some could consider it a trampoline towards higher posts, for enriching themselves. I do not divide politics between small and big. It is the way in which those who hold responsible posts account to those who chose them and to the citizens of this state that matters. The experience of the developed countries shows that the persons should be promoted to posts gradually and one should not become President overnight.
– Will you run in the local elections of 2019 too?
– Surely. Moreover, it will be easier for me to become mayor in 2019 when I will have a year of mayoralty, won in 2018, behind.
Maxim Braila is the youngest contender in the mayoral elections in Chisinau. He is 25 and is the deputy head of the People’s Party. He will be under No. 8 on the ballot.
