Many new things have happened in Chisinau municipality during the past few months, such as the replacement of the heads of municipal divisions, services and enterprises and, more recently, the modification of the structure of the divisions of the Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC) and the City Hall. These changes have a direct and indirect impact on the inhabitants of Chisinau given the role and place of the capital city, of the whole society of Moldova. On the other hand, there is now less information and communication about the made changes that would help the people to better understand the role, impact, benefits and risks of these metamorphoses. The subjects were discussed in the public debate “Administrative and political interference in capital city” that was staged by IPN News Agency and Radio Moldova.
Standing expert of IPN’s project Igor Botan, executive director of the Association for Participatory Democracy (ADEPT), said the local elections are political-administrative in character. In this case, the administrative and political interference is practically inevitable and this persists in Chisinau municipality. Given that the CMC and the City Hall are electable institutions, the citizens take part in elections and give a four-year mandate to these. Respectively, the Council is a representative body that approves decisions. The mayor, who is also a representative of the community, has executive powers. A rupture is witnessed in the current situation in the municipality of Chisinau and sporadic decisions and actions appear as a result because the acting mayor general does not have an official status in the municipality.
The expert said that on February 12 acting mayor Silvia Radu presented a report in connection with 100 days in office, which somehow matches the efforts made to ensure transparency in the decision-making process, the fight against corruption, etc. “When the message fits a general message in the country, such problems as corruption, lack of transparency, conflicts of interests, we can say that the decisions are not sporadic. However, the current situation in the municipality of Chisinau is absolutely abnormal. The legitimacy of the mandate of Silvia Radu, who was named by a person who wasn’t elected to that post, is doubted. It is also known that the Liberal Party pleads for bringing suspended mayor Dorin Chirtoaca back to post, but the law enforcers identified no violation in the process of naming Silviaq Radu as acting mayor. Besides this abnormal situation, something strange is witnessed in the attitude to the suspended mayor of Chisinau in contrast to another mayor – Ilan Shor. This means that Dorin Chirtoaca is treated in a not exactly correct manner.
Vitalie Mucan, secretary of the Socialist group on the CMC, said that changes started finally to be witnessed at the City Hall after eight years of stagnation. It is not about sporadic actions, but about a set of measures launched two years ago, when other parties entered the CMC. The world develops, while the municipality of Chisinau remains stagnant. Reforms are needed in this regard and these were launched with delay. There are particular risks related to the given changes and therefore the Socialists insisted on staging a roundtable meeting to discuss the situation and take decisions that would have positive effects.
The secretary of the Socialist group noted that correct and immediate decisions are needed to change the state of affairs in the municipality because everyone heard that the situation in the municipality during the last eight years was very good, but things actually stand very badly in Chisinau. Prompt intervention is needed to improve the situation. A set of reformation actions are needed because the Chisinau City Hall remains one of the most corrupt institutions in the country. The Socialists have never raised geopolitical subjects in the CMC and reforms should be further implemented because the system implemented during ten years no longer works.
Chairman of the Liberal group on the CMC Ion Cebanu said the assertions of Vitalie Mucan show who brought Silvia Radu to the City Hall. After Mayor General Dorin Chirtoaca was suspended, the power in the municipality was usurped. Dorin Chirtoaca is the elected mayor, while the deputy mayors are not elected and the appointment of deputy mayors is the prerogative of the elected mayor general.
“There are several persons who serve as deputy mayors and two of them were named by another deputy mayor. The question is: whose assistant is Silvia Radu? She is the assistant of Dorin Chirtoaca because he is the mayor who has a mandate and what is going on now is usurpation of the power in the municipal executive. That’s why all the things that followed can be brought into question,” stated Ion Cebanu, noting that the whole municipality will be affected, while the so-called reforms initiated by Silvia Radu will not have an economic impact as they were initiated to get rid of particular functionaries.
Veaceslav Bulat, councilor of the group of the Electoral Bloc “European People’s Platform – Iurie Leanca” on the CMC, said it is hard to say if reforms or sporadic actions are witnessed at municipal level. The political aspect in the local administration is more evident during the election campaign, but the campaign ends after the elections and the political aspects should disappear. At the same time, the role of those who head any local public administration is to obey the law, namely to promote the interests of the citizens of the community, to organize and provide public services. The political aspects and the international and transfrontier relations are less within the competence of the local public authorities. That’s why these should deal less with politics and more with activities.
According to the councilor, things were stagnant during many years and measures were required, either sporadic or regular, as the organogram and regulations haven’t been modified during ten years. The previous system showed it clearly that the CMC had preeminence over the executive body. A blow was given in 2016 by the law promoted at the insistence of a “ruling party”. Then the Council was dispossessed of the power to name deputy mayors and of powers related to the management of property or finances and these powers were transferred to one person. What is happening now in the municipality of Chisinau is the result of the attack on the functioning of the local public administration system and of the violation of the principle of separation of powers in the local public administration. “The consequences of that unwise Parliament decision will be yet felt,” stated Veaceslav Bulat.
Acting mayor general of Chisinau Silvia Radu was also invited to the debate, but she communicated through the Public Relations Division that she cannot be present and cannot delegate someone who would represent her. The head of the group of “Our Party” on the CMC Elena Panus was also invited, but she didn’t manage to come.
The public debate “Administrative and political interference in capital city” was the 87th installment of the series of public debates “Developing political culture by public debates” that are organized with assistance from the Hanns Seidel Foundation of Germany.
