Vladimir Voronin spared Government from responsibility, expert

The fact that Vladimir Voronin discharged four ministers just before tendering his resignation gives the impression that the Greceanyi Government II hides something, considers political analyst Igor Munteanu, the director of the Institute for Development and Social Initiative (IDIS) “Viitorul”. “The dismissal of the ministers by presidential decree is a well-planned tactic aimed at exempting the responsible ministers from responsibility when the new government will ask questions,” the expert told Info-Prim Neo. On September 10 and 11, Vladimir Voronin dismissed four ministers by presidential decree. These are Minister of Finance Mariana Durlesteanu, Minister of Information Development Pavel Buceatski, Minister of Construction Vladimir Baldovici and Minister of Local Public Administration Iacob Timciuc. According to the presidential press service, the ministers were dismissed on the basis of article 98 of the Constitution of Moldova, according to which the president of Moldova discharges and appoints members of the Government, on the suggestion of the Prime Minister, in case of a cabinet reshuffle or vacating of a post. “The main reason is to protect and spare from responsibility the government that could not cope with the crisis situations,” Igor Munteanu said. He considers that a very bad tradition appears thus in Moldova – the decision makers’ lack of continuity, which leaves room for interpretation. Igor Munteanu recommends the new authorities to investigate the work done by the previous government as a priority. He referred to the non-transparent privatization carried out at the end of 2008, the use of human and administrative resources for personal and party purposes, etc. “I think that nobody can ban the Parliament from holding a meeting where to hear the former ministers, before forming the new Government,” the analyst said. At the second sitting of the new legislative body, the members of the Alliance for European Integration invited the representatives of the Government to report on the present social and economic situation in the country. The caretaker first deputy prime minister Igor Dodon, who later offered his resignation, said that the Government has already presented such a report, when it resigned in corpore, in the presence of the head of state. “Neither I nor the Prime Minister (Zinaida Greceanyi) consider it appropriate to go to the Parliament’s sitting now that we resigned,” Dodon said on September 2. Igor Munteanu said that Dodon’s statements are banal as a minister has responsibility first of all towards the people. “The executive has a greater responsibility towards the Parliament than towards the head of state,” he said. The Greceanyi Government II was invested on June 10 by the Communist parliamentary majority. The executive was installed after the Parliament elected on April 5 failed to elect the head of state two times and was to be dissolved before announcing early elections.