Municipal opposition councillors accuse CMC leadership of organising a farce to definitively decide on the fate of “Antena C” and “Euro TV”

The Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC) did not discuss at Monday’s sitting the increase in price for tap water and thermal supply, despite it was the alleged reason for convening the Council’s sitting without delay. The exclusion of this item was operated at the proposal of the communist party, with the votes of the communist councillors, Christian democrats and of other unaffiliated members, after the agenda was voted in first reading, which, in many councillors’ opinion, is a blatant violation of the Council’s Regulations, Info-Prim Neo reports. The sitting started with a scandal, when interim mayor Vasile Ursu, proposed the sitting to be chaired by the communist councillor Grigore Mara, who holds the position of director of the Chisinau Cadastre Office. Leader of the Social Action Block (SAB) Mihai Roscovan maintained that according to the CMC Regulations, the sitting’s chairman is to be appointed by rotation, from each party, and that time was SAB’s turn. Roscovan requested explanations from Ursu about the fact the sitting was convened on Monday, contrary to a Government’s order, according to which sittings are held on Thursdays. Moreover, Roscovan claims that no one of the opposition councillors was contacted to get familiar with the sitting’s agenda or to discuss the candidature of the sitting’s chairman. According to Roscovan, SAB councillor Ion Mamaliga and representative of “Moldova Noastra” Alliance, Oleg Cernei, the urgent summoning of the sitting is explained by the fact that on Tuesday, January 23, the court will examine the petition of the staffs of “Antena C” and “Euro TV Chisinau” municipal stations regarding the illegality of the CMC’s decision on their reorganisation, so that CMC felt forced to take an immediate decision in this case. “Any decision in this respect will give away a preceding understanding and a pressure on the court”, Mamaliga said. As he states, if the courts rules in favour of the staffs, the 3.8 mln lei, claimed by the stations’ employees, could be paid by the councillors, who, according to the legislation in force, bear responsibility for the made decisions. At the same time, Oleg Cernei found that the fate of the municipal stations was discussed three times and the respective sittings were chaired by communist councillors three times as well. Ursu said in turn that he summoned the sitting on Monday because the item concerning the increase in the tariffs for water and heat must not be put off anymore, as the other issues, among which the matter regarding the radio and TV municipal stations. After the agenda was voted in first reading, the leader of the communist party Svetlana Popa requested to exclude the item concerning the increase in the tariffs for tap water and heat supply. Communist councillors and PPCD members, who comprise the majority of CMC, have voted for this proposal, so that only the issue of “Antena C” and ‘Euro TV” remained on the agenda. The insistent proposals of SAB and AMN councillors to exclude this item too, or to close the sitting as being groundless, have been rejected by the communists and PPCD. The opposition councillors have claimed more violations of the CMC Regulations, committed by Mara, Ursu and interim secretary of CMC Nicolae Manastarli. “The communist party and Christian democrats have showed their real face once again. After the bloc voted at the sitting of the specialised commissions for the increase in the tariffs, they now devote themselves to populist actions”, councillor Igor Crapivca stated. Most of opposition councillors have also accused the CMC sitting’s leadership of manipulating the microphones, installed on the councillors’ tables, turning on only the microphones of the majority party’s councillors. The councillors claim that this way their right to freedom of expression is violated.