Newly established Pro Europa Civic Forum set to muster support for center-right coalition

The freshly established Pro Europa Civic Forum is calling on the political parties of democratic and liberal orientation that won seats in Parliament following the November 28 elections to follow the will of the voters and restore the Alliance for European Integration, Info-Prim Neo reports. “Our future is at stake now”, declared Jurnal Trust Media president Val Butnaru, the Chairman of the Forum, at a news conference on Friday. The journalist stressed that any alliance with the Communist Party will lead to a setback in the modernization of Moldova and to a stoppage in the progress towards European integration. “We are against any games with the Communists. They have shown who they really are. They must be finally held accountable for the 2009 events”, said Valeriu Saharneanu, the chairman of the Moldovan Journalists' Union, a co-founder of the Forum. Valeriu Saharneanu said the Forum's main claims are directed at the Democratic Party leader Marian Lupu, who they think is engaged in “shameful games”. “We as citizens will oppose (a coalition with the Communists)”, said Saharneanu. Veaceslav Tibuleac, the director of the radio station Vocea Basarabiei, said the creation of a center-left coalition would be devastating for the independent media. Veaceslav Tibuleac also said that such an alliance would not be nationally representative. “We decided to act very swiftly because there is little time”, said the Forum's Secretary Roman Mihaies, who is also the chairman of the NGO “United European Moldova”. The representatives of the Pro Europa Civic Forum are calling on the leaders of the three parties to make reasonable concessions to achieve an agreement on a coalition government. In addition, the Forum intends to stage on the next three Sundays rallies in the Great National Assembly Square in Chisinau to raise civic activity about what is going on behind the scenes of the political life. The Pro Europa Civic Forum is a union of nongovernmental organizations and public figures from various areas who support Moldova's European integration path, democratization and modernization.