On June 14, the citizens of Moldova will vote the new local administration. IPN News Agency set the goal to determine how the local public authorities coped during the current term that is coming to an end. Experts, opinion leaders and representatives of civil society from different settlements will assess the activity of the local authorities of the country’s districts and municipalities. IPN series: Ungheni district.
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In Ungheni district, there are 117,000 residents living in 74 settlements and 33 mayor’s offices.
Eudochia Viziru, head of the Ungheni Agency for Rural Development and European Integration, said 62% of the settlements have fewer than 1,000 inhabitants. “I always insisted on the county-base territorial-administrative division because it was better this way. Over the last 12 years, an increasing number of people have gone abroad to work. The local authorities should be concentrated. We have a mayor’s office managing a village with 800 residents and this should also have a mayor, a secretary, a cadastral worker, etc. Therefore, there is no efficiency. The territorial-administrative reform is an imperative of time,” said the expert, adding that the people realized such a necessity.
A large mayor’s office can implement more projects. The nursery schools, schools and medical centers were renovated in Ungheni district during the last four years. A number of public institutions were outfitted with furniture. The authorities worked especially on gas and water supply projects and started to design a project to build a sewerage system. But wastewater treatment stations haven’t been yet constructed so that the water is not fully safe to drink.
The mayor’s offices that managed to implement successful projects are located in more favorable areas such as the border area or near roads of national importance. But there is also a disadvantaged area, where a large number of people went abroad. There are seven mayor’s offices that cope with difficulty and these should be merged into one.
The roads remain the biggest problem. They are in a poor state and their repair is costly. Over the last four years, the mayor’s offices managed to build only by two or three roads. The mayors need specialized assistance to be able to access national and international projects. More NGOs that would support the authorities are needed.
Eudochia Viziru wants those who will be elected on June 14 to keep their word and the promises they make to lay at the basis of their plans of action. The mayor and local councilors who would represent different political parties should reach a consensus. The central authorities and the local ones too should work out and implement development strategies.
Mariana Galben, IPN
