The Social Liberal Party (PSL) and the Democratic Party (PD) merged on February 10 under the slogan “We Come to Build”. The two parties formed a new Democratic Party that will have Dumitru Diacov as president and Oleg Serebrian as first vice president. Five vice presidents were elected during the constitution congress – Valentina Buliga, Oazu Nantoi, Dumitru Ivanov, Igor Clipii, and Valentina Stratan. Oleg Serebrian said that the two parties have a common goal – to build a strong party that would translate the aspirations to change the situation in Moldova into actions as these aspirations could remain a dream if the two parties venture into fulfilling them separately. According to him, the new party will plead for building privileged relations between Moldova and the U.S. and between Moldova and the great European democracies – Germany, France and the UK. It will try to give a new impetus to the relations with Ukraine, relations that PSL described as decisive for the country’s future in its constituent document. The party will also plead for a special relation with Romania built on the identicalness of the language, history, origin. Romania can and should be Moldova’s prop on the path to a unified Moldova, Serebrian said. At the same time, the new party will plead for the relations between Moldova and Russia to change their content and be based on frankness, respect for the mutual interest, non-interference in the internal affairs. “As regards the extremely painful Transnistrian conflict, our party will univocally plead for the peaceful settlement of the dispute, without any pressure from outside, without harming the interest of the largest part of the Moldovan population. We will plead for a Democratic unitary state and we will fight against foreign military presence in the Transnistrian region,” he said. Speaking about the 2009 parliamentary elections, Oleg Serebrian said that there are signs that they will be the most difficult ever. Marked morally and psychologically by the defeat at the local elections, the ruling party will make everything possible to bar the Opposition from coming to power. “I hope that the failure of the Communist Party will be the first sign that the Communists have not much time left to stay in power in Moldova”. Dumitru Diacov said that though PD is considered a pro-Russian party and PSL a pro-Romanian party, together they will be a pro-European and pro-Moldovan party. “Together we will make everything possible for Moldova to be an authentic European state and to bring the European values at home. Together we must start from the idea that Moldova must be a stable country with very good relations with Romania and Russia and with all the counties from the region. Moldova must be a reliable and predictable partner. Only then, the people will carry out serious talks with us,” Diacov said. Oazu Nantoi said that he is not very preoccupied with the way in which the two doctrines will unite. According to him, it is more important that the new party becomes a united team, responsive to the problems of the voters and strong enough to win the 2009 elections. As to the merger, Nantoi said that it offers the two parties an advantage in front of the voters because a party that is joined by other parties is a strong party with prospects. The two parties together hold 13% of the parliamentary votes.