Ghimpu congratulates Voronin

Friday's sitting of the Parliament started with congratulations for the former President Vladimir Voronin, the leader of the Communist parliamentary group, who turned 69 on May 25. Neither Vladimir Voronin not the other Communist lawmakers were present at the sitting, Info-Prim Neo reports. “We wish him good health and tell him to bring the Communist team back to the sittings as this is what they were elected for. Applause!” said Speaker Mihai Ghimpu, and the MPs started to applaud. The sitting was to start at 11.00, but began with a delay of 20 minutes. In several minutes, the Liberal-Democrat coalition went out for a meeting, before the agenda of the Parliament's sitting was agreed. According to the agenda approved by the legislative body's Standing Bureau, the MPs are to adopt a new law on volunteering, a decision concerning the guaranteeing of the right to petition, a decision regarding the copyright and related rights and a number of amendments. A bill with amendments to the law on the state pension was to be passed in second reading. The bill provides for decreasing the pensions of the President of Moldova, the MPs and the members of the Government from 75% to 42% of their incomes. The chairman of the Liberal-Democrat group Mihai Godea proposed removing the bill from the agenda, while the leader of the Democrats Marian Lupu, who is the author of the project, insisted that the bill should be adopted in second reading today. The sitting is attended by 57 of the 101 MPs. The parliamentary group of the Communists Party is absent.