Prime Minister Pavel Filip visited Donici, Camenca and Sămănanca villages of Orhei district, informing the inhabitants that the Government will allocate 1 million lei for offsetting the damage caused by the recent rain. “All the documents are being prepared and in the next Cabinet meeting we will approve the allocation of aid for the affected localities,” stated Pavel Filip.

Representatives of the Bloc ACUM mounted a protest against the rise in fuel prices and in the prices of bare essentials in front of the Government Building. The protesters demanded that the authorities should fight cartel agreements in the field and should support the local potato producers. “We demand that those who stay in the Government Building, who shouldn’t actually stay here because they weren’t voted by the people, but have the duty to further promote correct and transparent policies, and those from all the state institutions – the Competition Council, the National Agency for Energy Regulation and others – to make sure that the price changing processes are in accordance with the law and are transparent,” stated the leader of the Party “Action and Solidarity” Maia Sandu.

The probe started by the Competition Council into the recent fuel price rise could take more than a month to complete. Contacted by IPN, Cristina Zara, deputy department head at the Council, said no other details could be offered as it could damage the investigation.

Oil retailers said a tonne of gasoline this March cost US$ 608, while in the middle of May - US$682, an increase of 12.2%. The price of diesel fuel rose from US$ 605 per tonne in March to US$ 659 per tonne in May, up 8.9%. Also, the Moldovan leu depreciated by 4.95% against the US dollar in the period, from 17.0929 lei/dollar to 17.9392 lei/dollar. As a result, the retail prices of gasoline and diesel fuel rose by 5.9% and 5.1% respectively.

The body of former Tiraspol mayor Andrei Bezbabcenko was found near an abandoned rural building in Odessa Oblast, Ukraine. According to local press reports, Bezbabcenko had his hands tied before dying a violent death. Bezbabcenko had run a construction and investment company in Tiraspol since 1990. In 2016, he supported the eventually unsuccessful re-election bid of the so-called president of the unrecognized Transnistrian republic Yevgeny Shevchuk. Reportedly, this support created powerful enemies for Bezbabcenko in Sheriff corporation. Both Shevchuk and Bezbabcenko had to flee the region, with the latter finding refuge in Ukraine.

The co-president of the Bloc ACUM Maia Sandu, president of the Party “Action and Solidarity” (PAS), said the bloc is ready to sign a public commitment to promise that after the laws of the anti-oligarchic package are adopted, it will take a step backward and will dismiss the Speaker of Parliament, if this package is voted by the Socialists. “When the people seem to have decided to go towards snap elections, I don’t understand why they don’t come to vote two-three laws that would make the snap elections much fairer,” stated the politician. (Representatives of the Bloc ACUM proposed convoking a special session of Parliament for May 21. Only the ACUM MPs came to the sitting and the Bloc’s leaders said the Party of Socialists, the Democratic Party and the Shor Party should publicly assume responsibility for paralyzing the Parliament’s work.)

Ex-Communist MP Oleg Reidman said the first sitting of Parliament is convened by the President and wondered what prevents Igor Dodon now from convoking the legislature. “Who knows if there is a parliamentary majority or not? He should convoke Parliament so that this adopts the necessary decisions and should propose the agenda. If there is no parliamentary majority, what does this mean? That there is no Speaker? But who the Speaker of Parliament is? This is only the chief MP. He is not the master of Parliament. He chairs the sitting,” stated the Communist.

Approximately 700 families will receive social dwellings by the end of this year. The social apartments were built as part of the second stage of the project to build dwellings for socially deprived groups from Moldova, which is financially supported by the Council of Europe Development Bank with a total loan of about €13.4 million. About 2,400 persons with low incomes will be provided with about 680 social dwellings as part of this project.

The graduating ninth and twelfth graders have the last lessons on May 24. For ninth graders, the examination session for the graduation of secondary education will take place during June 3-14, while the Baccalaureate session for twelfth graders will be held during June 4-21, 2019. For the other students, the summer vacation starts on June 1 and lasts until August 31, for 92 days overall.

Details on IPN!