Press Release
on the organization of the seventh electoral debate of the series ”Analyzing Electoral Supply and Demand-2021”. Public debates series held by the news agency IPN in its conference room with the support of the German Foundation “Hanns Seidel”
Held on 07 July 2021, Debate No.195 brought together: Working People’s Party president Sergey Toma; The president of the Party of Development and Unity of Moldova Ion Chicu; PPPDA candidate for MP Igor Munteanu and Igor Boțan, IPN project’s standing expert.
Development of the economy, return of the people at home and democratic recovery that should be started with the justice sector reform are among the main objectives set by the candidates of the Working People’s Party, the Party of Development and Unity of Moldova and the Party Dignity and Truth Platform for the July 11 parliamentary elections. The content of parties’ electoral programs was discussed in the seventh electoral debate of the series “Analyzing Electoral Supply and Demand-2021” that was staged by IPN.
Working People’s Party president Sergey Toma said the party he represents supports the labor’s doctrine of the UK. He joined the party six years ago. “I saw that this doctrine went against the capitalism existing in the UK and is closely connected with the citizens and workers. In fact, it is a “labor party” idea that brought a new doctrine here and I’m making effort to strengthen the team that was divided. The party’s team consists of civic activists: Maria Olar, Fiodor Ghelici, persons from the diaspora who worked abroad for over 25 years. We know what should be done and changed for the living conditions here to be similar to those in Europe,” stated the candidate.
The Working People’s Party runs under the slogan “Returning the country to the people and the people to the county”. The eradication of poverty is their top priority as, according to Sergey Toma, the people cannot be brought back home until the country does not have social capital to support the older and vulnerable persons. Another objective is to stop the anarchy among judges and prosecutors as a healthy economy cannot be ensured otherwise. Until the justice sector is not transparent, no investor will come to the Republic of Moldova. The economy will grow only when there is transparency and control over the public funds. These are the most important points of their program that are aimed at developing the country. Investments are needed in infrastructure, but business ideas are also necessary. Asked by PPPDA vice president Igor Munteanu what is the Working People’s Party’s solution for stopping the anarchy in the prosecution service, Sergey Toma said the electronic file and the principle of four signatures of prosecutors, not of one signature for starting a criminal case should be implemented and a law to protect the denouncer should be adopted.
The president of the Party of Development and Unity of Moldova Ion Chicu said that during the last three years after returning to the country, he worked at the Ministry of Finance and served as Prime Minister. Until January 2018, he for seven years worked for international financial institutions abroad. The party’s team consists of specialists in education, medicine, economy, agriculture and all the important areas of the country. Valuables people should become involved to save the country as disappointment cannot be used as an excuse for doing something.
Ion Chicu noted the party’s name embodies their main objectives. There are many people in Moldova who love the country, who have potential, but during the past 30 years they have been divided according to linguistic, national, religious, geopolitical and other kinds of criteria. The forces of the whole nation should be now combined to overcome this very difficult situation. The economic development model should be changed. Moldova is a country centering on the export of raw material. Agriculture in the region plays only the role of supplying raw material abroad, to those who produce increased value added. Over 1 million people work outside the country even if they were born and brought up in Moldova. This is a serious mistake. The tax burden on salaries should be reduced and conditions and infrastructure should be created to keep the people at home. The social infrastructure, healthcare and education system should be improved. Their party has a program aimed at these important areas. Their slogan in elections is “Together for the country”, which means that society should be untied.
Asked if he thought about the economic consequences when the Government didn’t offer support to companies that were seriously affected by the pandemic when he served as Prime Minister, Ion Chicu said the Government last year offered assistance to the economy, especially when it maintained and increased investments in public infrastructure. Asked by IPN project’s standing expert Igor Boțan about the country’s external debt that some of the election contenders consider a danger to the country, Ion Chicu said this debt against the GDP is one of the smallest in the region and money should be therefore borrowed during the next three-four years and invested in infrastructure.
PPPDA candidate for MP Igor Munteanu said he worked for the Council of Europe and in the independent research sector so as to promote the rule of law institutions. Their party’s team is one of the most powerful teams in the current political class and it proved this in Moldova’s Parliament in 2019-2021, when they managed to drive away the oligarchic regime established by Plahotniuc and his representatives have to be now also removed. In 2010-2015, he served as Moldova’s Ambassador to the U.S. and Canada. “I consider the Western democratic development model is the closest to the aspirations of the people in the Republic of Moldova, but this development model should be implemented with skillfulness, qualification and, what’s most important, with an upright government. Moldova can have a bright future when the good and niece people work hand in hand to forge national and social solidary,” he stated.
Igor Munteanu noted the PPPDA’s slogan is “Good deeds bring us together”. This slogan is close to the expectations of the ordinary people who do not want to see so much speculation and labeling on the political arena. They just want to live better and their party will do its best to ensure this. In the Republic of Moldova, democratic recovery should start with the justice sector reform, while such toxic parties as the Shor Party, the PSRM and Renato Usatîi’s party should definitely not come to power as they are an insult to the democratic model deserved by Moldova. A jump should be made by economic recovery, the international dialogue with the development partners should be restored and the rule of law institutions should be strengthened so that the economy prospers.
Asked by Serghei Toma to state his opinion on the assertions that the leader of PPPDA Andrei Năstase is toxic for the party and he does not deserve to lead this party, Igor Munteanu said everyone should take care of the own party, while the leaders should be nominated and appointed according to transparent and correct procedures. In another development, answering a reply of Ion Chicu, Igor Munteanu said the alliance with the PSRM in 2019 was the only way for removing Vladimir Plahotniuc from power. He noted the party’s program is modeled according to social economy, which means social solidarity, welfare policies and ensuring of a minimum subsistence level for the poor and vulnerable people.
In the July 11 snap parliamentary elections, the Party of Development and Unity of Moldova will be under No. 13, the Working People’s Party – under No. 22, while the Party Dignity and Truth Platform – under No. 9.
The Agency published 4 news stories on the debate (see the English version of www.ipn.md): on 07.07.21, „ Economic development and democratic recovery. Promises of candidates in seventh electoral debate of IPN” - https://www.ipn.md/en/economic-development-and-democratic-recovery-promises-of-candidates-in-seventh-8004_1082898.html; „Ion Chicu: Corruption and injustice start form political interference - https://www.ipn.md/en/ion-chicu-corruption-and-injustice-start-form-political-interference-8004_1082891.html; Sergey Toma: We need a law on denouncer - https://www.ipn.md/en/sergey-toma-we-need-a-law-on-denouncer-8004_1082896.html; “Igor Munteanu: Injustice drives people away from home” - https://www.ipn.md/en/igor-munteanu-injustice-drives-people-away-from-home-8004_1082897.html.
Valeriu Vasilica, director of IPN