After the visit paid by Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Comrat, analyst Veaceslav Craciun noted that after many years of silence kept by the Turkish authorities, the President of Turkey ultimately spoke about the efficiency of the autonomous unit of Gagauzia. In an article for IPN, the author says this reference should be probably understood as support for the local political elite’s dominant viewpoint about the functionality of Gagauz-Yeri. In Comrat, they believe that in order to develop the region, the powers defined in the Law on the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia should be enshrined in the Constitution.
Accidentally or not, the Gagauz people’s request concerning the constitutional consolidation of the powers was supported by President Igor Dodon in the presence of the Bashkan and Turkey’s President. Even if we admit that this is a signal given to the Gagauz public in connection with the upcoming electoral campaign, we cannot ignore the fact that the subject of inserting the “Gagauz reform” in the Constitution occupied a safe place in the agenda of the region’s relations with the central authorities.
Simultaneously, the spirits caused by the PDM”s assemby persist in Chisinau. Mayor of Capaclia village of Cantemir distrait Alexei Busioc, in the talk show “Expertise hour” on Jurnal TV channel, said at least 60% of those who attended the assembly staged by the Democratic Party in central Chisinau last Sunday will not vote this party because they were brought to the Great National Assembly Square by force.
The mayor noted he considers the ruling party is preparing the massive rigging of the upcoming parliamentary elections and the local authorities of the second level will play an important role in this process. “In 1998, when counties were introduced, the central power remained without hands. They understood that a normal decentralization process started and some didn’t like it,” stated Alexei Busioc.
Former district head Grigore Cobzac, currently MP of the PLDM, in a public debate entitled “European integration in Constitution and in life” held at IPN, said practically all the foreign partners postpone the relations with the Republic of Moldova until after the parliamentary elections, expecting free and fair elections. Now that “the European integration” phrase wasn’t included in the Constitution, a party remained without a political manipulation instrument. The European course has the legal support needed for being implemented, but this should be really implemented, not mimicked. The European partners said they didn’t end the relations with Moldova, but only suggest new aspects, such as provision of financing directly to the local public authorities, civil society, the free press, etc.
In the same debate, Socialist MP Vladimir Țurcan said that if the initiators of this bill consider this is an issue of major importance for the people of the Republic of Moldova, a referendum should have been held. This method is specified in the Constitution, which clearly provides that such problems are put up for a referendum. A hidden goal was revealed in the debates on the bill to amend the Constitution and enshrine the European integration in it held in Parliament. Those who have a differing opinion or position, either a party or citizens, are considered elements that violate the Constitution.
Against such a background, the EU-Moldova Civil Society Platform met in Chisinau to ascertain that the progress made in implementing the Association Agreement with the European Union is limited. Despite the moderate progress made in implementing the Deep and Compressive Free Trade Agreement between Moldova and the EU, a qualitative decline has been witnessed in the first half of this year, owing mainly to the lack of progress in doing the justice sector reform and democratic backsliding that led to the suspension of the EU macro-financial assistance.
Concurrently, the Venice Commission opined that the Moldovan Law on Preventing and Combatting Terrorism should be revised. Without any reference to the recent expulsion/extradition of employees of the Lyceum “Orizont”, the Venice Commission says “black lists” of terrorists should not rely blindly on decisions of foreign courts and governments. An effective appeal process accessible to all affected persons should be put in place. The Moldovan courts should be able to verify whether the person concerned is indeed a “terrorist” within the meaning of the Moldovan legislation and under the international law. Expulsion and extradition of presumed “terrorists” is possible only if it does not contradict the obligations of Moldova under the 1951 Convention on Refugees and the European Convention on Human Rights.
In reaction to the polls concerning the corrupt justice sector in Moldova, the National Anticorruption Center detained three judges of the Appeals Court, two judges of the Chisinau City Court, a prosecutor of the Chisinau City Prosecutor’s Office, a lawyer, a judicial assistant, a doctor and a private individual involved in a case. The judges are suspected of asking for and receiving large sums of money for passing favorable judgments in a number examined criminal cases.
We can presume that corruption in the education sector has a face that is different from that of corruption in the justice sector as 125 teachers of physical education, music, Romanian language and literature, math, English and physics are needed in schools and lyceums of Chisinau municipality and 400 educators, methodologists, music managers, logopedists, psychologists and defectologists are needed in kindergartens. There is also a shortage of 414 non-teaching jobs, such as medical assistant, educator assistant, nurses, cooks or auxiliary cooks, dish and laundry washing persons, cleaners.
Details on IPN!
