Liberal wing of AMN joins MAE

Veaceslav Untila, Iurie Colesnic and several other members of the Moldova Noastra Alliance (AMN) decided to leave the party and join the European Action Movement (MAE) as they do not recognize the reelection of Serafim Urecheanu as president of the AMN. The announcement was made by Veaceslav Untila in a news conference on January 12. “Mister Untila considered that it is better to reject the hand that we gave them,” said the first vice president of the AMN Victor Osipov, who also attended the conference, Info-Prim Neo reports. The former members of the AMN said it was a political project that will be put into practice as a result of negotiations with the administration of the MAE. Untila said together with the MAE they will carry out negotiations with other right or center-right parties that are not represented in the Parliament. “I chose the MAE because during the July election campaign it did an extraordinary thing – withdrew from the race in favor of the parties that are now in power. The MAE also fights corruption as we do and has many honest and young members. We will create a young generation of politicians,” Veaceslav Untila said. Asked why they rejected Victor Osipov's proposal to make peace with the AMN, Iurie Colesnic, the former vice president of the AMN, said they would have accepted it if the results of the eighth congress of the AMN had been annulled. “It is hard to leave everything that we did while members of this party to Osipov, who did nothing but write reports for Serafim Urecheanu,” said the leader of the local organization of the AMN in Cahul district Gheorghe Vasilache. For his part, Victor Osipov accused Iurie Colesnic of eating canned beans from the AMN's fridge bought by Serafim Urecheanu and drinking tea and eating biscuits all day long. Referring to Untila, he said that he was not able to manage strategic projects that the AMN entrusted to him. Veaceslav Untila said that after the AMN's Congress, Serafim Urecheanu blackmailed the leaders of the local organizations, who will now help him implement his new political project. Victor Ospiov called on the members of the AMN not to listen to Untila as he wants only to split the party. Speaking about the MAE leader Anatol Petrencu, Victor Osipov said that he did not act honestly when he attracted Untila on his side, but wished him good luck. In a statement issued by the MAE, Petrencu welcomes Veaceslav Untila's project and invites the former members of the AMN to continue the discussions so as to finalize this project that can reinvigorate and reform the political sector in Moldova. Vecaeslav Untila and Iurie Colesnic said they will become unaffiliated MPs, but will remain active members of the Alliance for European Integration.