On June 14, the citizens of Moldova will vote the new local administration. IPN News Agency set the goal to determine how the local public authorities coped during the current term that is coming to an end. Experts, opinion leaders and representatives of civil society from different settlements will assess the activity of the local authorities of the country’s districts and municipalities. IPN series: Criuleni district
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Criuleni district has 43 settlement, 25 mayor’s offices and a population of over 73,000.
In the June 14 local elections, one fourth of the local elected officials will be reelected because they did their job or because the voters do not have alternatives. In some of the settlements, the mayors hold office for the fourth time and the people got used to them. If the people in the parliamentary elections vote for symbols and parties, in the local elections they vote for concrete persons, the team, said local expert Grigore Savin, who has worked for over 20 years for the local press and for over 25 years in the public sector.
Grigore Savin said that there are good and less good examples in each districts and Criuleni is not an exception. There are mayors who did a lot during four years and the people see this. In Magdacesti, a number of public institutions were repaired. Even if there are practically no places on which to erect a house there, the people are tempted to move to this village. The number of residents of Magdacesti over the last four years increased by 2,000.
At district level, practically all the education institutions were outfitted with autonomous heating systems, sanitary blocks inside, cameras, etc. The schools were thermally insulated and had their windows changed. An electronic register of students is being implemented.
There are also failures. A sewerage and wastewater treatment system hasn’t been yet built. The necessary equipment was bought and particular works were performed. About 20 million lei was invested and a zonal station was to be constructed, but things stagnate. The project was postponed and it is now most probably outdated. A new project appeared now. Germany could provide assistance for building a joint wastewater treatment station with Dubasari district.
Grigore Savin said emphasis in the district should be laid on projects to develop rural entrepreneurship. There are examples of such projects, like the setting up of modern orchards and greenhouses, but these should be continued. The good production is in demand everywhere. In Criuleni, as in other districts, the land fund is not put to good use. One quarter of the farmland is not cultivated. The locals do nothing and the authorities also do not intervene. In the EU states, there are specialists who examine the situation and take measures if the owners do not cultivate the land. At our mayor’s offices, the posts in the land sector are usually held by relatives of the mayors or persons who do not have the necessary training.
Grigore Savin also said that a study is needed to determine the people’s needs and what powers the local public authorities should be given. The reform in the field is done in a hurry and, even if some of the powers and settlements in the country need indeed to be merged, a real territorial-administrative reform is needed to offer real local autonomy and to allow efficiently managing the financial resources. The tasks and powers must be very clearly stipulated.
As to the June 14 local elections, the expert said that all those who want to become mayors do not have the necessary qualifications. The stake in this elections is yet unclear because the people are apathetic and do not have concrete expectations due to the situation in the banking sector inclusively. The people want the authorities to do justice. They have expectations of the newly formed parties, but no major changes in the political configuration are anticipated.
Elena Nistor, IPN
