Eight seats of MP declared vacant

The Parliament announced eight legislative seats vacant after accepting the resignations tendered by eight members of the Alliance for European Integration, who hold simultaneously posts in the Government, Info-Prim Neo reports. Three of the eight PMs represented the PLDM, three the PDM, and by one the AMN and the PL. Thus, Prime Minister Vlad Filat (PLDM), Foreign Minister Iurie Leanca (PLDM), Minister of Health Vladimir Hotineanu (PLDM), Minister of Economy Valeriu Lazar (PDM), Minister of Labor Valentina Buliga (PDM), Minister of Construction Marcel Raducan (PDM), Minister of Education Leonid Bujor (AMN) and the head of Moldova's Water Agency Ion Lupu (PL) will not attend the Parliament's sittings anymore, except the Government's Hour. Minister of Justice Alexandru Tanase and Minister of Transport Anatol Salaru have not yet vacated the seats in the Parliament. Under the law on the status of MP, the two can hold the post of minister and of legislator in parallel by April this year. The vacancies will be filled by the substitute candidates written in the parties' electoral lists. The three MPs of the PLDM could be replaced by Ion Ionas, 54, Ghenadie Ciobanu, chairman of the Union of Composers and Musicologists of Moldova, 53, and entrepreneur Nicolae Olaru, 52. The PDM's possible substitute candidates are political analyst Oazu Nantoi, 62, the head of the Union of Oenologists of Moldova Gheorghe Arpentin, 49, and former MP, doctor Valentin Stratan, 48. The AMN's faction could include the vice president of the party and head of Iloveni district Mihai Silistraru, 59, while the PL's faction – the Mayor of Chisinau's consultant Lilian Carp, 32.