If Dorin Chirtoaca is dismissed from the post of mayor of Chisinau by court decision, a person will be named to hold the post on an interim basis. The candidate will be proposed and voted in at a meeting of the Chisinau Municipal Council.
IPN asked a number of Chisinau councilors of different groups who will assume responsibility for the management of the capital city now that Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca was arrested for 72 hours and deputy mayor Nistor Grozavu is under house arrest.
The head of the Socialist group Ion Ceban said that in the absence of the mayor and deputy mayor, nothing serious will happen as Dorin Chirtoaca during the last few years was often absent from work. Even if the mayor is absent, things in the city cannot go worse than now. The legal framework will be examined to decide the further actions of the group.
Veaceslav Bulat, councilor of the group of the Electoral Bloc “European People’s Platform – Iurie Leanca”, said that if Chirtoaca is dismissed, the Chisinau Council during five days has to empower a person to fulfill the duties of mayor. The law does not provide if this person should represent the executive or the Council. The post of mayor hasn’t yet fallen vacant as there is no court decision to suspend the mayor.
Ilian Casu, of the Political Party “Our Party”, said an unprecedented situation is witnessed. Under the legislation, the Chisinau Municipal Council is to be convoked in five days, but it is not clear five days of the arrest of the mayor or of the possible indictment and suspension from post. If the situation is reached when a person is named mayor on an interim basis, this process should be maximally transparent so that the political tricks and combinations of the Plahotniuc-Dodon duo are avoided.
Democratic councilor Liviu Oboroc said the given situation is unprecedented and particular legislative gasps are revealed. Most probably, a solution will be identified and a person from the executive could be named to hold the post of mayor.
Unaffiliated councilor Ion Stefanita stated the Chisinau Council will meet on May 29, on the initiative of representatives of the administration of the Council’s secretariat, to discuss the created situation and other items from the Council’s agenda.
Contacted by IPN, head of the Liberal group on the Council Ion Cebanu didn’t answer the phone.
Mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca was arrested by anticorruption prosecutors and officers in the case of the pay parking lots in the evening of May 25. He was placed in the remand prison of the National Anticorruption Center for 72 hours, being suspected of traffic of influence. The mayor was arrested one month after deputy mayor Nistor Grozavu was detained. Grozavu is now under house arrest.
