We must bear in mind that we made promises during the election campaign. Info-Prim Neo interview with Oleg Cernei, AMN municipal councilor

[ - Last year, the Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC) had two decisional majorities. Would you speak about their efficiency?] - The majority coalition formed in 2007 by the Moldova Noastra Alliance, the Liberal Party, the Liberal Democratic Party and the Social Democratic Party managed to elect deputy mayors, district heads, deputy district heads and to create a work atmosphere in the Chisinau Municipal Council. A number of illegal practices for selling municipal property have been eliminated. I think that the people respected then the Council as it had an image, even if we also faced conflict situations. We declared us an open and transparent coalition for the people. The meetings of the CMC were public and anyone could attend them. The coalition collapsed because it included persons that were not interested in strengthening it. The Social-Democrats headed by Eduard Musuc used the coalition cunningly and brought Igor Lupulciuc to the post of deputy mayor, Galina Bostan to the post of head of Ciocana district, and Boris Prepelita to the post of deputy head of Botanica district. This was their ill-willed group aim. They betrayed and formed another coalition by which the Communists, the Social-Democrats, the Christian-Democrats and the Humanists created a new majority in the CMC. It was formed with the help of the police as Musuc was elected in the company of the police that surrounded the meeting hall and the City Hall. In fact, that was not a coalition, but a voting machine. Thousands of hectares of land had been sold, the expert commissions had been modified in a non-transparent manner, many councilors had been removed from commissions, while Musuc, the Communists and the Christian-Democrats form part of all the commissions and of the administration boards of the joint stock companies that belong to the municipality. The Communists promoted Eduard Musuc to the post from behind the scenes so as to denigrate the Mayor General through his agency and create a duality of power in the CMC, including by forming the apparatus of the Councils’ president. The Communists in this coalition do not have posts, deputy mayors, district heads, deputy district heads or Council presidents. They manipulate Musuc very well. This is the true face of this majority. [ - How did the relations between the CMC and the Mayor General develop during the year and what effects did they have on the Chisinau residents?] - The relation between the mayor and the CMC must be based on the functions stipulated in the Law on the Local Public Administration and the Law on the Status of Chisinau Municipality. There should be partnership relations. Regretfully, these relations are critical and negative. There is a kind of ping-pong between the mayor and the majority formed of Communists, Christian-Democrats, Social-Democrats and Humanists. As a result of interminable conflicts, the image that the Council had after the local elections of 2007, when the people had hope and put their trust in the two parts of the local administration, was damaged unfortunately. There is no joint program of priorities and no partnership. By forming the apparatus of the Councils’ president, the Communists created a duality of power. The division heads that disobey the Mayor General violate in fact the legislation. This is not normal. The people already feel disgust at the CMC meetings, at the badly-staged plays in the Council like the conflict with the locks, the shows about the presentation or non-presentation of draft decisions concerning a new heating tariff, the memorandum whereby Musuc negotiates with Moldovagaz and Termocom in the name of the Council, having no right to do this. Musuc goes to President Vladimir Voronin and Prime Minister Zinaida Greceanyi and discusses municipal problems with them, not being empowered to do so. This way, the authority of the Mayor General, no matter who holds this post, is being neglected. The mayor is yet a political person that defends the interests of the Chisinau residents. He is also not right when he does not attend the Council’s meetings. The Mayor General should sit in the central part of the table, alongside Musuc, so as to intervene when need be. By refusing to do so, the mayor isolated himself. [ - What can your faction and the Council do together to improve the situation in Chisinau in 2009?] - We must bear in mind that we made promises during the election campaign. Now, in the run-up to the election campaign, the councilors must not treat their electoral interests, regardless of the party that they represent, as more important than the interests of the Chisinau residents. A lot of councilors are vice presidents or presidents of parties. It is evident that they will use their positions to promote the party’s interests. Unfortunately, we are more concerned about the political image than with the resolution of people’s problems. We must create a standing bureau of the CMC, bring together representatives from all the factions and reach a consensus because we will govern together for two more years.