Of the series of IPN interviews with all the candidates for mayor general of Chisinau municipality: Constantin Codreanu, candidate of the National Unity Party.
– What made you run for the mayoralty of Chisinau municipality?
– I returned from Bucharest to Chisinau to become involved in Moldovan politics, where things degraded continuously and this is evident in infrastructure and in the speeches of those who assumed responsibility for the people’s destinies. I’m an alternative for the people who choose normality and respect, not disrespect and irresponsibility.
Together with my team, we worked out a plan for Chisinau that, doubled by the confidence and earnestness that characterize us, can result in a project that will change the appearance of the capital city. But ultimately these elections are not about Constantin Codreanu because the step towards the Chisinau City Hall derives from a collective decision. It was the decision of the Unionist Movement, taken together with the party bodies that undertook the objective of decisively coming closer to Romania.
– Why do you think you should be voted in the May 20 elections?
–I’m the only candidate who is now on an ascendant in opinion polls. I already passed the psychological ceiling of 10% and I’m convinced that this week we will yet go up in the preferences of the residents of Chisinau, depending on the number of people that my message will reach. My opponents disqualify themselves by leading an aggressive campaign that lacks substance. I’m the only candidate who can beat Ivan Ceban in the second round.
– Which are the most pressing three problems in Chisinau and how quickly can they be solved?
– My program for Chisinau, which can be found on www.codreanuprimar.md, has the value of a public commitment and is planned for at least five years. I identified three clear directions: “Directly for the inhabitants”, “In Chisinau city, in the villages and towns of the municipality” and “In the administration of the City Hall”. I concentrate my attention and efforts on the priority problems, such as: undeveloped economy, lack of investments, poor state of the roads, congested traffic, ignoring of social categories, children and elderly people, first of all.
What solutions do you suggest to them?
– I will start by attracting investments to the value of €1 billion from Romania and through Romania, which will enable us, among others, to start the construction of 100 km of new and rehabilitated roads in Chisinau and the building of a road belt of Chisinau. Concomitantly with the rebuilding of infrastructure, we must take care of children and elderly people. The lack of respect for them is inacceptable. We cannot move on without making sure beforehand that they have a minimum needed to live. The pensions for the elderly and benefits for the children are among my top priorities. I also intend to set up 20 social eateries and to introduce free public transport in the city, by the model of Tallinn city.
– How will the pay parking spaces project end, in your opinion?
– We must admit that the streets in the city are practically used as parking lots and this reduced the traffic capacity by 30%. As a result of the rise in the number of units of transport, the task concerning the roads in the capital city grew 2-3 times. I suggest a simple and accomplishable project – to build at least 20 underground and ground parking garages.
– What solutions do you have for the waste disposal problem in the city?
– The fame of Chisinau as a green city dilutes daily. The green areas in Chisinau diminish dramatically. I will start by implementing a system for selecting and recycling household waste and transforming it into a renewable source of energy. I also suggest building a waste plant in accordance with the sanitary-epidemiological norms and gradually liquidating the existing waste dumps.
– What is the stake of the upcoming elections?
– These elections will show that we are united, powerful and do not yield to the pressure exerted by the propaganda controlled by Plahotniuc and Dodon. The stake of these elections is the Romanian and European future of the capital city and the whole country. That’s why I invite the inhabitants of Chisinau to vote a person who has nothing to do with the political class that has robbed the Republic of Moldova and Chisinau municipality during the past few years. This person is me. I’m a tested unionist, a European politician who will struggle for better living conditions here, at home.
– Is the City Hall a trampoline for obtaining higher posts? Do you see yourself in big politics?
– I entered politics in December 2016. I’m a functionary in an EU member state, a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Parliament of Romania and chairman of the Commission for the Communities of Romanians Outside Borders. I actively deal with the needs of 12 million people who live abroad and solved many of their problems. The Chisinau City Hall is a first step towards Moldovan politics. Parliamentary elections will take place in Moldova in autumn and the unionists should deliver the Reunion message to the Moldovan legislature.
– Will you run in the local elections of 2019 too?
– As I said at the start of the current election campaign, I will be a mayor for a longer term. My program covers a period of five years.
Constantin Codreanu will be under No. 11 on the ballot.
Earlier, IPN published interviews with Silvia Radu, independent candidate, Maxim Braila, candidate of the People’s Party, Ion Ceban, candidate of the Party of Socialists, Alexandr Roșco, candidate of the Political Party “Our Home – Moldova”, and Alexandra Can, candidate of the National Liberal Party.
