Six MPs of the Democratic Party (PDM) on February 19 announced that they decided to leave the party and the party’s parliamentary group. These are: Andrian Candu, Sergiu Sîrbu, Vladimir Cebotari, Eleonora Graur, Corneliu Padnevici and Grigore Repeshchuk. The announcement was made in a news conference where the MPs said that they do not support the actions of the PDM’s leadership, concentrated on the formation of a coalition with the Socialists, without having at least one discussion with the parties of the right, IPN reports.
According to Andrian Candu, the leaders of the PDM take part in secret meetings with the Party of Socialists, the Premier and the President, saying that they have common concerns. They also issue press releases saying these discussions didn’t include negotiations and they do not form alliances. “We already heard that four ministries are to be transferred under their control and many other things. But we must be correct and allow those who negotiate to come later and make the information they consider necessary public, openly to the press and the people,” he stated, adding the way in which these talks are conducted shows cowardice.
The MP also said that the PDM should have taken a firm position on the motion submitted against Minister of Foreign Affairs Aureliu Ciocoi and should have supported it from the very beginning. “The minister’s statement is scandalous and cannot be left unpunished. Is now the Democratic Party in the opposition or in the government? We cannot say firmly either the first or the second and this is grave. It is even graver that the party’s leadership also does not say where the party is now. During many months, we had insisted that the parliamentary group should have discussions with representatives of all the parliamentary parties, as it is right to do and as the voters expected,” stated Andrian Candu.
The six MPs will create a distinct parliamentary group. “Our group will fully support the proposal of our colleagues from the ACUM Bloc to vote the statement on the confirmation of the European course and the consistent promotion of the strategic and irreversible European course. We will even offer the MPs to enshrine the European course in the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova as this desideratum hasn’t been yet achieved,” he noted.
The ex-Parliament Speaker added that more members of the PDM intend to leave the party, but have some reservations and fears following private discussions with particular persons and following blackmail and particular pressure.
