Dodon, Chirtoaca duel on TV

The two candidates for mayor general of Chisinau exchanged harsh replies during electoral debates at Pro TV Chisinau on Tuesday evening. Igor Dodon said he will inform the Prosecutor General’s Office about four cases of corruption involving the former mayor. For his part, Dorin Chirtoaca accused his opponent of resorting to political shows and electoral lies, Info-Prim Neo reports. Igor Dodon said that Dorin Chirtoaca neglects the suburbs, while the PCRM intends to develop them, including by setting up industrial parks. The Communist Party’s candidate said the low percentage scored in the suburban settlements on June 5 is due to the fact that the people still can be influenced by electoral presents. “I’m convinced that in the second round of voting, the suburbs will realize that somebody uses them only in the election campaign,” said Igor Dodon. Dorin Chirtoaca enumerated a number of electoral promises made by Igor Dodon, saying they have been already fulfilled by others. “Don’t use someone else’s ideas, but propose new initiatives,” Dorin Chirtoaca said, addressing his opponent. He read fragments from the shorthand report of a Chisinau Municipal Council meeting, when the 2011 municipal budget was approved. He said the leader of the Communist faction in the Council Valery Pavlov did not support many of the projects intended for the suburbs. “You voted against the suburbs,” said Dorin Chirtoaca. Igor Dodon accused Dorin Chirtoaca of paying a commission of €2.5 million to a Romanian company with the help of which he bought the 102 new trolleybuses from Minsk. The Liberal Party’s candidate asserted that his Communist opponent falsified the Official Gazette of Romania as he selected parts of it and joined them together into a single text. Dorin Chirtoaca informed the Prosecutor General’s Office about this fact. Igor Dodon replied he did not falsify documents and it is the Prosecutor’s Office that will pronounce on the matter, not Dorin Chirtoaca. The Communist candidate also said that he is sure he will win the second round of voting, while Dorin Chirtoaca will become an ordinary councilor or will occupy a post offered by his uncle Mihai Ghimpu. He said that immediately after the elections, he will ask for a meeting with Prime Minister Vlad Filat to discuss the problems faced by the residents of Chisinau and possible solutions to them as the people are tired of discussions and want the problems to be resolved. Dorin Chirtoaca stressed that he also intends to deal with these problems, not the nonsense disseminated by the Communists. In the June 5 elections, none of the candidates polled more than half of the vote to become mayor. Igor Dodon won 48.07% of the vote, while Dorin Chirtoaca – 46.51%.