Deputy mayor Leonid Babii will serve as mayor of Balti municipality on an interim basis. The decision was taken in an extraordinary meeting of the Balti Municipal Council on January 3, where the local elected officials also took cognizance of the resignation of deputy mayor Igor Sheremet, who served as acting mayor until recently.
Igor Sheremet announced his resignation on January 2, arguing mayor of Balti Renato Usatyi does not trust in his abilities to manage affairs in the municipality.
The decision to name Leonid Babii acting mayor was welcomed with applause by a group of supporters who came to the Balti mayor’s office to congratulate Babii. They chanted “Hurrah!”, “Babii mayor”.
The January 3 extraordinary meeting of the Balti Municipal Council was convoked by an order signed by acting mayor Igor Sheremet on December 29, 2017 and its agenda included the initiation of a local referendum on the dismissal of Renato Usatyi, who has been absent from Moldova for over a year, from the post of mayor. The decision to hold a plebiscite was adopted by the votes of the 27 councilors attending the meeting.
