Representatives of local authorities protest in front of Government Building

01.02.2013 12:38
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Local office holders from all the country’s districts staged a protest in front of the Government Building on February 1. They asked that the decentralization of local autonomy should be real, while the central authorities should switch from words to deeds, Info-Prim Neo reports. Viorel Furdui, executive director of the Congress of Local Authorities of Moldova (CALM), said the representatives of the local public administration are dissatisfied with the slow pace of reforms aimed at decentralization and strengthening of local autonomy. The local office holders say they work in difficult conditions owing to the ambiguous legislation and the political, administrative and financial pressure exerted on them. “Even the volume of gasoline that we can use is set by the Ministry of Finance. The salaries of mayors are very low compared with their obligations and responsibilities and may be even lower than the pays of their inferiors,” said the CALM executive director. According to Viorel Furdui, they are also indignant at the defamatory campaigns and discriminatory attitude of different state institutions. “We are the only officials elected by direct vote who enjoy the greatest confidence in the state, alongside the church. But the representatives of the central authorities often say that the mayors do not fulfill their duties and are corrupt,” he stated. The participants said their protest wasn’t political in character. They do not protest against certain persons, but want to see the reforms promised by the authorities. The protesters carried placards saying the central authorities need them only during election campaigns. The event involved about 300 persons.