Ruslan Codreanu holds the post of acting mayor of Chisinau municipality legally. The head of the Chisinau City Hall’s Public Relations Division Vadim Brinzaniuc told a news conference that the invalidation of the early elections extended automatically the conditions for ending the mayoralty before time. As one of the deputy mayors, Nistor Grozavu, rejected the post and Ruslan Codreanu expressed his readiness to occupy it, an order was made by which Ruslan Codreanu assumed the duties of acting mayor.

Legal Assistance Division head Valeriu Bogdan said that under the law on the local public administration, if the term of mayor ends before time or the mayor is unable to fulfil his duties, the post is held on an interim basis by a deputy mayor. As there are two deputy mayors at the Chisinau City Hall and deputy mayor Nistor Grozavu refused to occupy the post of acting mayor general and wrote a rejection declaration, Ruslan Codreanu took up the post of mayor. The order was submitted to the State Chancellery for being examined and having its legality determined, but no notification has come so far.

Valeriu Bogdan also said it is within the remit of the Chisinau Municipal Council to empower a person to fulfil the duties of acting mayor only if the deputy mayor, for objective reasons, refuses to hold the post of acting mayor or if the mayor or deputy mayor are suspended from the post concomitantly, for particular causes, these posts become vacant. Then the CMC empowers a person to fulfil the duties of mayor within five days.

In the July 24 meeting of the CMC, Liberal Chisinau councilor Ion Cebanu said acting mayor of Chisinau Ruslan Codreanu should resign as he took up the post abusively, by an order signed by him on July 10, after deputy mayor Nistor Grozavu refused to hold the post of mayor on an interim basis. The request was supported by Socialist councilor Ion Ceban. Councilor of the European People’s Party of Moldova Veaceslav Bulat said all these requests and statements are made for the sake of a show.