Dodon counterattacks

Number 6 on the Communists' (PCRM) list for parliament , Igor Dodon, has replied to recent statements made by opposition politicians and economic analysts, who criticize the Government's economic policies. At a news conference on Friday, the first deputy premier and economy minister, suspended from office, complained about losing “the political stability, which was an advantage of Moldova in attracting foreign investments,” Info-Prim Neo reports. Igor Dodon has used a term from the Russian slang – “glamorous analysts” – to show his depreciative attitude towards his critics. The candidate responsible with the Government's economic battery has said the political opponents will base their criticism, in the ongoing race, on “the following pillars”: the state budget, the salaries and social payments and the foreign loans. Dodon has insured there are no problems in paying the social payments. On the eve, Info-Prim Neo quoted officials from Banca de Economii saying the Social Insurances National Corporation had not transferred them the money. The candidate has shown himself glad that the forecasts of the 'glamorous analysts' during the previous electoral race, who predicted the leu would fall immediately after the elections, did not turn true. “A sharp depreciation in Moldova's conditions, when a good part of the production factors are imported, would be advantageous only for the stored goods. A slow depreciation would be useful, in function of the situation on the currency market. The depreciation of the leu-dollar duet this year is about 8%,” said Igor Dodon. Tackling the Investprivatbank topic, Dodon has said the depositors will become clients of Banca de Economii (BEM), which is the only to have shown interest to take over the assets and debts of the busted bank. The Communist candidate has specified BEM has more than enough liquidity to swallow Investprivatbank's takeover. On the eve, Liberal-Democratic (PLDM) leader Vlad Filat asked the Government “to insure a transparent and legal process in the Investprivatbank case, to make public the list of the ones having got loans and having bankrupted the bank, largely people close to the present power.” Dodon has not ruled out such lists could be made public. Referring to another accusation of the PLDM, that it would be illegal to get the loan of half a billion dollars from Russia, since the burden of the foreign debt would increase enormously, Igor Dodon has said now the state's debt is 15% of the Gross Domestic Product of 62 billion lei. He gave examples of developed countries in which the relation of the external debt to the GDP was much bigger.