The President of Moldova Igor Dodon said he does not see how the Party of Socialists (PSRM) could establish a partnership with any of the parties with chances of entering Parliament. The statement was made after Parliament Speaker Andrian Candu said one should never say never (see “Briefness first and foremost” of 27.12.18), referring to a possible coalition of the PDM and PSRM, noting yet he cannot imagine a coalition between the Democrats and the Socialists.
Igor Dodon said it will be very risky if attempts are made to annul the election results in a constituency or in several constituencies after the parliamentary elections, noting in such a situation the current ruling party will only lose and it will thus not resort to such a step.
Speaker Andrian Candu considers the relations with the EU will return to the necessary pragmatism of mutual benefits after the parliamentary elections in Moldova and after the elections to the European Parliament of 2019. He noted the European integration remains the key priority of the Republic of Moldova and only this development model is viable for the country.
The Speaker also referred to information security, saying the Republic of Moldova is subject to cyberattacks almost daily. That’s why an information security strategy is needed to create a special platform and the institutional capacities needed to cope with cyber challenges.
The European People’s Party of Moldova (PPEM) will not take part in the parliamentary elections of February 24, 2019 as an electoral contender with own lists or candidates. In a press release, the PPEM said the excessive fragmentation of the center-right segment could facilitate the Party of Socialists’ victory in elections and this would mean blocking of Moldova’s European course and of the reforms initiated by the previous governments for an indefinite period of time.
The Democratic Party and the Party of Communists were registered as participants in the national consultative referendum that will take place simultaneously with the parliamentary elections of February 24, 2019. The voters in the referendum will be asked if they want the number of MPs to be reduced from 101 to 61 and if they want the people to be able to recall the MPs who do not appropriately fulfil their duties. They will answer with “yes” or “no”.
The PDM was registered with the option “For”, which is it will plead in favor of the questions put up for the plebiscite, while the PCRM with the option “Against”.
The head of the Socialist group on the Chisinau Municipal Council Ion Ceban said the new law on the salary system does not allow the municipal authorities to provide bonuses to pays. As a result, some categories of budget-funded employees will get lower pays than until now, even together with the compensations provided by the municipality, “For example, for a number of social categories, such as teachers and doctors, we identified the financial resources needed to cover their travel expenses. About 13,000-14,000 budget-funded employees are covered,” he stated. They are also exploring the possibility of providing by 45 lei for the employees of the social assistance system to be able to eat daily at work. “If we do not find a solution to support directly these categories, we will look for other solutions to assist them so that the people do not leave the system,” said Ion Ceban.
In an edition of the publication “Economic Reality” produced by experts of the Independent Think Tank “Expert-Grup”, it is said the erosion of the framework for fighting money laundering is the most worrisome tendency witnessed in 2018. This affected further the Government’s relations with the development partners. This is related to the law on voluntary declaration and fiscal stimulation and the law on Moldovan citizenship by investment adopted in 2018 despite multiple concerns expressed by civil society and the development partners. Their content runs counter to the spirit of the Association Agreement with the EU and the Memorandum with the IMF.
The new Palanca State Border Crossing Point that is managed jointly by customs officers and border police officers of Moldova and Ukraine was inaugurated. In the inaugural ceremony, Prime Minister Pavel Filip said this event is an important one for both of the states. He thanked the Ukrainian side and the European Union for the provided financial support, noting this is an example of efficient use of EU funds for the people’s benefit.
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