The investing of the Filip Government, protests, direct presidential elections after a period of about 20 years and other events marked the year 2016. At yearend, IPN News Agency presents the most important events of each of the 12 months of the year.
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Key event of April: Antigovernment protest of April 24 resulted in altercations between demonstrators and the police.

In the April 1 sitting of Parliament,  it was decided that the presidential elections will take place on October 30. After a period of almost 20 years, the Head of State will now be chosen by the people, after the Constitutional Court declared unconstitutional the law to review the Constitution’s provisions concerning the election of the President, by the votes of 3/5 of MPs. The bill to set the date of the direct presidential elections was passed by the votes of 50 MPs, which was a majority of those attending the plenary sitting. The initiative was included in the agenda by the votes of a group of MPs of the parliamentary alliance.

Also on April 1, the Broadcasting Coordination Council presented the results of the contest to distribute the available 15 slots of Multiplex A. Initially, only 12 TV channels were authorized to transmit by digital-terrestrial ways. Afterward, the contest was rerun and thee more channels received such authorizations. Currently, Multiplex A in Moldova is used by the following TV channels: Canal Regional TV, TV 7, TVR Moldova, Moldova 1, N 4, Publika TV, Canal 2, Canal 3 and Prime, Agro TV Moldova, CTC Mega, Super TV, Accent TV, Jurnal TV, and ITV. The period of validity of the broadcast license for using the digital-terrestrial multiplex is of 7 years.

On April 6, the MPs rejected the initiative to amend the Constitution for annulling the parliamentary immunity. The decision was taken the same day by the Parliament’s Standing Bureau. Two weeks later, the Constitutional Court positively appraised the legislative initiative. On April 21, the bill was registered in Parliament by a number of Democratic, Liberal and unaffiliated MPs.

On April 7, the President of Romania Klaus Iohannis approved the appointment of Daniel Ionita as Ambassador to Moldova instead of Marius Lazurca.

On April 11, the new governor of the National Bank of Moldova Sergiu Cioclea took up his duties. Sergiu Cioclea was named on March 11, being selected out of nine candidates who competed in the contest. Ex-governor Dorin Dragutanu tendered his resignation in September 2015, together with vice governor Marin Molosag. Dorin Dragutanu said then he resigned because he was subject to pressure by politicians because these didn’t find legal reasons to dismiss him by the vote of Parliament.

On April 14, the group of the European People’s Party of Moldova on the Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC) proposed holding a referendum on the dismissal of the mayor general of Chisinau municipality Dorin Chirtoaca. The plebiscite was to be held on October 30 this year, simultaneously with the presidential elections, but the initiative was rejected. Earlier, the Socialist group also declared that they would initiate the procedure for dismissing the mayor of Chisinau by the votes of 34 councilors of the CMC or by referendum.

On April 24, the Civic Platform “Dignity and Truth” mounted a large-scale antigovernment protest in Chisinau. Thousands of people from different regions of Moldova took part in this. They demanded that the current government should resign and early parliamentary elections should be held simultaneously with the presidential elections. During the protest, the demonstrators surrounded the Government Building and then walked to Bulgara St, where there is allegedly the house of the first deputy chairman of the Democratic Party Vlad Plahotniuc, who, according to them, captured the whole country. Altercations between demonstrators and the police started there. The first threw eggs and stones, while the latter used teargas to disperse the crowed. A criminal case was started over public disorder. Four persons were arrested on suspicion of involvement in the revolt that resulted in injured police officers and damage.

On April 27, Parliament adopted the decision to reelect Mihai Poalelungi as president of the Supreme Court of Justice for another four years. Poalelungi was first elected president of the Court in 2012.

Selection by Anastasia Rusu, IPN