Factions from former CMC coalition accuse new coalition of undermining local administration

The factions of the Liberal Party and of the Moldova Noastra Alliance in the Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC) accuse the Communists, the Social-Democrats and the Christian-Democrats of attempting to undermine the work of the municipal administration. That happened Thursday after the Communist and the Social-Democratic factions criticized the work of two municipal directions, Info-Prim Neo reports. The Social-Democrats (PSD) have shown concern with the housing direction. The PSD councilor, Emil Gutu, has stated that, after the CMC raised 5-fold the tariffs for maintaining dwelling blocks on December 27, 2007, the quality and the quantity of services has not improved. The sanitation state has worsened and is a growing danger for the people's health, says the councilor. According to him, the dwelling-utility sector is conducted badly, the complexity of the problems gathered exceeding the managerial capacity of the responsible structures. The PSD faction has asked general mayor Dorin Chirtoaca a report on the amounts gathered after the tariff grew and the way of using them. The Social-Democrats ask the Preventive Medicine Center for a report on the sanitary-epidemiological situation in the municipality. The PSD faction wants to set up a special commission “to make a full analysis of those subdivisions of the CMC” and to urgently pass a Regulation allowing to give compensations to vulnerable groups to pay for utilities. The Communist faction has accused the Culture direction of wasting money from the municipal budget. Communist councilor Alexandru Roman has claimed the whole circulation of the 40th edition of the municipal newspaper “Capitala” did not reach its subscribers but was distributed in the Great National Assembly Square by Liberal members. According to the councilor, to publish the program of the manifestations dedicated to “Our Language” Holiday on the last page of the newspaper is too big a luxury for the newspaper. Roman has called “a waste of money” to install a new stage for Our Language Holiday instead of the stage installed by the Government for the Independence Day. The Communists want a special commission to check the work of the Culture direction and of newspaper Capitala, and the Culture chief, Lucia Culev, to present a report on how the public money is used. In response, Mihai Ghimpu, the Liberal Party leader, has said “the grouping having formed within the CMC – the PCRM, PSD, PPCD and PUM factions – after illegally dismissing the CMC chairman, now set their eyes on the municipal directions.” Ghimpu has said the decision to raise the tariffs was “right and timely”, while the PSD's claims are populist. Ghimpu has defended the Culture direction, saying it managed to save money for the first time. Mihai Ghimpu supposes, after the heads of directions present their reports, their dismissal will be asked. Moldova Noastra Alliance's councilor Nina Talmaci has said the new majority in the CMC undermines the work of the municipal structures and the move is part of the Communists' electoral scenario. The councilors are to vote for including the proposals of those two factions on the additional agenda of the sitting. The CMC convenes after the summer vacation.