The heads of the Chisinau branches of the Centrist Union of Moldova (UCM) defected the party and joined the United Moldova Party headed by Vladimir Turcan. The announcement was made in a news conference held at Info-Prim Neo on January 21. Mihail Guzun, the head of the UCM's branch in Buiucani distrust of Chisinau, said the five district leaders will be followed by more than 1,000 colleagues from municipal organizations, including youth ones. He stressed the members of the UCM from the country's districts will do the same in the neat future. “We, the old guard of the UCM, were disappointed by the party's administration that could not adequately organize the work of the party during the election campaigns of 2009,” Mihai Guzun said. According to him, the UCM is close to collapse. As to United Moldova, Mihai Guzun said this party could bring things in order, especially in economy. “We joined a party that wants a sovereign, united and free Moldova,” Guzun said. Mihai Guzun also said they negotiated the entry into the United Moldova Party with the four unaffiliated MPs who left the PCRM and joined this party. The four MPs include the current president of United Moldova Vladimir Turcan, Victor Stepaniuc, Ludmila Belchenkova and Valentin Guznac. Asked if they negotiated certain posts in the party, Guzun said they did not. “We hope the United Moldova Party is clear or economic and fiscal crimes. I think Mister Turcan and Mister Stepaniuc showed courage when they withdrew from the PCRM,” said Georghe Petrea, the head of the UCM's branch in Ciocana district. Petrea had been a member of the PCRM, but in 2008 he joined the UCM. The former members of the UCM said they also had negotiations with the PDM on joining this party. The discussions were held immediately after the July 2009 elections, but they did not produce results as the president of honor of the PDM Dumitru Diacov and the Democrat leader Marian Lupu were not very cooperative, as they stated. In this connection, Mihai Guzun said he does not see unity inside the PDM as Marian Lupu and the party's vice president Oleg Serebrian have dissenting views on many issues. Mihai Guzun added they excluded the possibility of joining the PSD, which lost everything it had after the elections of July 2009. The former members of the UCM were to submit the applications for joining the United Moldova Party immediately after the news conference.