Tough day in Parliament

The expulsion of two Romanian diplomats from Moldova, the removal of the Christmas tree from Chisinau’s central square and the disruption of hot water supply in the capital city have sparked heated debates at Thursday’s Parliament sitting, making the majority faction and the Opposition exchange accusations. MP Dumitru Diacov, the leader of the Democratic Party, stated that Moldova doesn’t need such a state of affairs and animosity. “The existing hostilities are the reasons why issues like economic growth, pensions and salaries are left in the shadow”, said Diacov, requesting the appearance of the Prime Minister before Parliament until the end of the session. Vitalia Pavlicenco, president of the National Liberal Party, wanted to see the Prosecutor General in Parliament for explanations over the Christmas tree issue. Taking the floor, MP Vladimir Filat called up the events of December 2 when 24 polling stations were opened in Transnistria for Russia’s legislative elections. The AMN faction said it shared the concerns of the colleagues from the Opposition about the events going on in Moldova. MP Veaceslav Untila argued that all these actions are personally directed by the President and proposed inviting Vladimir Voronin in Parliament to give explanations about the current state of affairs. The AMN leader, Serafim Urecheanu, said the best solution is to have the Government resign. The speeches of the Opposition MPs were frequently disrupted by the chairwoman of the sitting, Deputy Speaker Maria Postoico, and also by the Communist MPs, who tried to shout down the speakers. The exchange of accusations lasted more than half an hour, after which all the proposals of the Opposition were voted down by the majority faction.