Chisinau Council entitled interim mayor to sign the lists of electoral bureau members

The Chisinau Municipal Council did not have quorum for its sitting on July 10. After waiting for about an hour, there were but 24 councilors on the floor, although 26 announced their presence. They took a break till July 14, Info-Prim Neo reports. The councilors were to endorse the members of the electoral bureaus of the polling stations in Chisinau. Since they failed to do so, now interim mayor Nistor Grozavu is empowered to undersign the documents, stated CMC secretary Valeriu Didencu. The bureaus are to start working on July 14. Nistor Grozavu is to send the lists to the Central Election Commission (CEC) on Friday, Didencu specified. Most of the absent councilors were Communists. Valerii Pavlov, a PCRM councilor, has said the CMC sittings are sabotaged, as a rule, by the Democrats. “We regularly attend the sittings, but since they are held 3-4 times a week, some colleagues of ours cannot abandon their jobs,” Pavlov stated. PLDM faction leader Ghenadie Dumanschi believes the PCRM faction did not come on purpose. “Today we were to endorse the members of the electoral bureaus and since the Communists failed to gather a majority to forward their candidates, they sabotaged the sitting,” he said. “We're are in the electoral race now and obviously the councilors campaign. That is why we should better take a break till after the parliamentary elections,” said PPCD faction leader Alexandru Corduneanu. AMN faction leader Pavel Caba and the Liberal Tatiana Gutium believe not attending the sittings is a matter of political ambition, irresponsibility and lack of respect for the Chisinau inhabitants and other councilors. The CMC secretary has said the legislation allows for lifting the mandates of the councilors who frequently do not attend the sittings. For instance, Doina Sulac, a Liberal Councilor, attended but 7 sittings of 20, Ludmila Muravieva, from the PCRM, attended but 19, being sick leave, Oazu Nantoi from the PDM attended but 5. Emil Gutu from the PSD is under house arrest. “The factions may replace these councilors with the ones from the lists for the CMC,” Valeriu Didencu said.