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 September: Government assumed responsibility for a package of seven laws whose adoption was a condition for signing the financing agreement with the International Monetary Fund.

On September 7, an Embassy of Japan was inaugurated in Chisinau, with Masanobu Yoshii serving as ambassador. The diplomat said the event marked a new stage in the development of the bilateral relations between Japan and Moldova. “24 years ago, on March 26, 1992, Moldova and Japan established diplomatic relations and this year, when the Republic of Moldova celebrates the 25th anniversary of the declaration of independence, our countries give a powerful impetus to the economic, political and cultural cooperation by opening embassies in Chisinau and Tokyo,” he stated.

In its September 23 sitting, Parliament passed a draft decision whereby 2017 was declared the Year of Nicolae Testemitanu, on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the scientist’s birth.

On September 26, the Special Representative of the German OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Transnistrian Settlement Process, Cord Meier-Klodt, paid a working visit to Chisinau and Tiraspol. During his visit, the ambassador met with the Moldovan and Transnistrian Chief Negotiators to receive briefings from the sides following the summer break and to discuss steps to advance the settlement process.

On September 26, the Government assumed responsibility for a package of seven laws whose adoption was a condition for signing the financing agreement with the International Monetary Fund. Prime Minister Pavel Filip said the method of adopting these laws, by the assumption of responsibility by the Government, was coordinated with members of the IMF and the parliamentary alliance. The laws refer to bank resolution and remedying, the Common Central Securities Depository, amendment of the Law on the National Bank, issuing of state bonds, and amendment of the state budget, state social insurance budget and mandatory health insurance funds budget for this year. At least one of these laws caused heated discussions in society as it was considered that the executive made the repayment of the money stolen from the financial-banking system the people’s burden.

The same day, Prime Minister Pavel Filip and Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn signed a financing agreement to the value of €15 million for launching the public administration reform.

On September 27, the Socialists submitted a no confidence motion to the Parliament’s Chancellery. This was signed by 37 MPs of the Socialist Party, Liberal Democratic Party and Communist Party. The motion was proposed following the assumption of responsibility by the Government for the seven laws.

On September 28, the Government appointed Fredolin Lecari as chief of the Border Police. The post fell vacant after Dorin Purice was named deputy minister of the interior in spring.

On September 29, the deadline for the submission of lists with signatures by candidates for being registered as electoral competitors to the Central Election Commission expired. By that day, eight candidates had been registered and another eight were waiting for the signatures to be validated. Nine candidates ultimately ran in the presidential elections.

Also on September 29, the monument to martyrs Alexei Mateevici, Simeon Murafa and Andrei Hodorogea was unveiled in the square of God’s Birth Cathedral in Chisinau. This was built by the model of the monument erected in 1923, which was destroyed in 1940. The images of the three Moldovans are located on the vertical plaque, in bronze bas-relief, while on the pedestal in front of them there is the figure of a bronze eagle.

On the last day of September, the leader of the Party of Socialists Igor Dodon officially started the election campaign. He then promised to take concrete actions to restore the US$1 billion stolen from the Moldovan banking system and to ban unionist elements. Igor Dodon won the presidential elections in the runoff by 52.18% of the vote.

Selection by Anastasia Rusu, IPN