Gagauz MPs agree on leading positions in local parliament

The deputies from the Gagauz People's Assembly (PA) reached a consensus as to the top positions in the local parliament's structure. A memo in this respect was signed by the representatives of those three factions: Ana Harlamenko, Demian Caraseni and Serghei Cernev. Then the MPs elected the new PA leadership, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to a press release issued by the PA, the memo provides for electing as speaker the representative of Nicolai Dudoglo's supporters - Ana Harlamenko, as the positions of deputy speakers were given to Communist Demian Caraseni and to the representative of “Yedinnaya Gagauzia” movement - Elena Kovalenko. The MPs agreed that 4 legislative committees should be chaired by Communists and independents, and other four – by the other two groups of MPs. The members of the committees will be nominated by the chairpersons at the next sitting of the PA. The deputies agreed that, if all the agreements are honored, they will annul all the decisions adopted by the PA from June 12 to July 31. After the memorandum had been signed, the PA's session was opened by the eldest MP Ilia Hiora. Those 30 MPs (12 from “Yedinnaya Gagauzia”, 12 from the Communists Party (PCRM) and six from the Dudoglo grouping) elected a counting committee and elected, unanimously and secretly, Ana Harlamenko as the PA's president. They also unanimously elected her two vice presidents – Demian Caraseni and Elena Kovalenko. The chairpersons of the committees followed. Earlier, Communist Demian Caraseni sued the election of Ana Harlamenko on July 21 as PA's president, and the Court of Appeals declared her election as void on July 22. Earlier in June the Comrat-based Court of Appeals invalidated the election of Serghei Cernev from Ravnoprevie, as speaker. The Communists MPs and their supporters said the Communist Demian Caraseni should be the president, after he was elected by 18 legislators on June 12. Three ballots were declared void then. The counting committee declared as void the election of Demian Caraseni, since there were not enough votes.