District councils and mayors to be elected in 2011

District councils and mayors in Chisinau municipality will be elected only in 2011, although according to the Electoral Code this should have occurred in this year’s general local elections. The coming into force of the respective provisions has been postponed by the amended version of the Law on Local Authorities, published in the “Official Monitor of Moldova” on March 9. Eugen Stirbu, the Chair of the Central Election Committee (CEC), told the CEC session, held on Tuesday, March 13, that he discussed this issue with the representatives of the Parliamentary Legal Committee for Appointments and Immunities, according to whom the provisions of the Electoral Code that refer to the appointment of district mayors and councils will be enacted when the date for the 2011 local elections is announced, because the law enacted last prevails, in this case the Law on Local Authorities. Stirbu stated that CEC would forward a letter incorporating the necessary explanations to the Chisinau Municipal Council. According to the amendments to the Electoral Code adopted by Parliament in July 2006, the five districts in Chisinau municipality will be headed by district mayors and councils, which will replace this way the institution of the District Office. The districts in Chisinau will have the same tasks as the administrative-territorial institutions of level I do. At the same time, the decisions of the Chisinau Municipal Council and normative ordinances of the general mayor will be obligatory for the authorities in the districts. Botanica and Rascani district councils will be composed of 25 councillors each, while Centru, Ciocana and Buiucani will have 23 members each.