Socialist mayors and district heads said they are against the decentralization reform and only a future President like the Socialist leader Igor Dodon will not allow returning to counties and liquidating a number of mayor’s offices. In a news conference at IPN, local elected officials said the steps taken by the candidate of the Party “Action and Solidarity” Maia Sandu to optimize schools when she was minister of education show that she will allow closing mayor’s offices.

Mihail Plesca, mayor of Prepelita village of Sangerei district, said the local elected officials fear the optimization of mayor’s offices will start after the elections and the people will more intensely leave the already depopulated towns and villages. “Some of our villages are on the verge of extinction. The residents of settlements without school, mayor’s office and medical center have access to services of a much worse quality and thus choose to leave. We do not think that this reform will be beneficial to the country. We hope the one who will lead the country after elections will take care of the people’s needs. We hope the people will make the correct choice,” said the mayor.

Head of Ocnita district Vasile Romaniuc said he discussed with residents of the district and found out that the people are against the optimization of mayor’s offices and do not want to return to counties. A similar reform done earlier led to increased costs. The people want things to remain unchanged in this respect.

Tatiana Timofte, mayor of Buda commune of Calarasi district, called on the people of good faith not to allow optimizing mayor’s offices as, even without such reforms, the settlements remain without people owing to the high death rate. She called on the authorities to identify solutions and improve the situation of the people living in rural areas.

Ala Guzun, mayor of Bilicenii Vechi, Sangerei, said that instead of doing reforms that would cause only chaos, the authorities should better look for additional financing to provide the villages with drinking water, lighting and roads of a better quality.

Head of Basarabeasca district Petru Puscari said of the two candidates who reached the runoff elections - Igor Dodon and Maia Sandu – only the Socialist candidate said that he will not allow liquidating the rayons (districts) and optimizing the public institutions.

In this connection, the local elected officials called on the voters to support Igor Dodon in the second runoff presidential elections on November 13.