Fallen governments, local elections, arrests over bank frauds and other similar events marked the year that is coming to an end. IPN Agency presents the main events of 2015 retrospectively.

January 23 – PLDM and PDM assume governance together

January 28 – Iurie Leanca is nominated for premiership

February 12 – Parliament does not give a vote of confidence to Leanca II Government

February 14  – Chiril Gaburici is nominated for premiership

February 18 – Parliament gives a vote of confidence to the Gaburici Government

26 February – Iurie Leanca leaves PLDM

March 4  – Natural gas starts to be imported from Romania through the Iasi-Ungheni gas pipeline

March 17 – Hearings in the case of Banca de Economii (BEM)

March 22 – Local Governor elections are held in Gagauzia. Irina Vlah is elected Governor by 51.01% of the poll in the first round of voting

March 23 – Iurie Leanca launches his party

March 3 – Over 40,000 people stage anti-government protest in central square of Chisinau, mobilized by the Civic Platform “Dignity and Truth”

May 25 – Prosecutor’s Office extends investigations in BEM case. Prosecutor General Corneliu Gurin announces that decision-makers from the Government and Parliament will be investigated

May 29 – Anti-tobacco law is passed. Smoking in closed and semi-closed places is banned

June 12 – Prime Minister Chiril Gaburici tenders his resignation

June 12 – Export of fruit to Russia is resumed

June 14 and 28 – First and second round of local general elections are held. The Liberal Party’s candidate Dorin Chirtoaca wins mayoral elections in Chisinau in second round

July 18 – National Agency for Energy Regulation approves rises in natural gas and electric power charges

July 27 – Liberal-Democratic MP Valeriu Strelet is nominated for premiership

July 30 – Strelet Government is invested by the votes of 52 MPs of the PLDM, PDM and PL.

September 6 – New large-scale protest is mounted in the Great National Assembly Square of Chisinau. Protesters seek resignation of President Nicolae Timofti and direct presidential elections

September 13 – Protesters come together again, mobilized by the Platform “Dignity and Truth”. They seek again early parliamentary elections

September 15 – Famous actor Mihai Volontir died

September 17 – MP Petru Stirbate leaves PLDM to serve as an independent

September 21 – National Bank governor Dorin Dragutanu tenders his resignation, says attempts are made to make him a scapegoat

September 22 – Governments of Moldova and Government hold joint meeting. The then Romanian Premier Victor Ponta announces intention to provide a loan of €150 million to Moldova, in several tranches. Procedure is stopped owing to the political instability in Chisinau

September 27 – PSRM and PPPN mount join protest in front of Parliament Building, demand resignation of President Nicolae Timofti as the only legal possibility of holding early legislative elections

October 15 – Vlad Filat is deprived of parliamentary immunity and arrested on charges he took large sums of money as bribe from businessman Ilan Shor in exchange for governmental decisions in the latter’s favor

October 16 – Executive Committee of the National Bank of Moldova decides to withdraw licenses of Banca de Economii, Banca Sociala and Unibank and to initiate their liquidation

October 29 – Strelet Government is dismissed by the votes of 65 MPs, including Democrats. Liberal MPs and MPs of Leanca group abstain.

November 20 – Platform “Dignity and Truth” starts to collect signatures for referendum on the election of the head of state by the people’s vote.

November 29 – Large-scale anti-government protest is mounted in the central square of Chisinau and in other regions of the country, organized by the Platform “Dignity and Truth”

December 8 – Epigramist Efim Tarlapan died at the age of 71.

December 11 – Platform “Dignity and Truth” merges with People’s Force Party. Later these announce the creation of the Political Party “Dignity and Truth”

December 15 – PDM presents four candidates for premiership to head of state – Vlad Plahotniuc, Marian Lupu, Andrian Candu, and Iurie Leanca. Meanwhile, PLDM claims right to field candidate for Prime Minister. President Nicolae Timofti says that if parties do not reach a compromise over a common candidate, he will choose himself a candidate

December 21 – 14 MPs leave Communist parliamentary group, announce creation of Social-Democratic Platform of Moldova in Parliament

December 21 – Ion Sturza is nominated for premiership

December 23 – Maia Sandu enters politics, calls on the country’s people to lend a hand so as to save the Republic of Moldova

December 28 – Parliament’s Standing Bureau schedules a special sitting for January 4, 2pm. Candidate Ion Sturza is to seek the Parliament’s vote of confidence. He needs at least 51 votes to be invested.

December 29 – First hearing in the case of ex-Prime Minister Vlad Filat postponed, new panel of judges to be named to try this case.

Elena Nistor, IPN