A fire that broke out at the National Stadium in the morning of July 24 affected almost 6,000 hectares of an area where dry tree branches were stored. A number of 17 firefighting vehicles were mobilized to extinguish the fire.

The Central Election Commission (CEC) took cognizance of the Parliament’s decision whereby a seat of MP in the Socialist group was declared vacant. In its July 25 meeting, the Commission voted to assign the seat to the next substitute candidate on the list of the Party of Socialists Petru Corduneanu, who is now a local councilor in Chisinau.

On July 26, the Cabinet held a meeting in its new composition that was adopted by Parliament last week. The number of ministries was reduced from 16 to nine. Five ministries kept their names and duties. These are: Ministry of Finance led by Octavian Armasu; Ministry of Justice led by Vladimir Cebotari; Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration led by Andrei Galbur; Ministry of the Interior headed by Alexandru Juzdan, and Ministry of Defense where a minister is to be named by presidential decree. The Ministry of Economy will take over areas of activity from the Ministry of Transport and Road Infrastructure, Ministry of Information and Communication Technology and Ministry of Regional Development and Construction and will be now called Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure led by Octavian Calmac. The Ministry of Culture will combine duties of the Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Youth and Sport and the research area of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova and will be called Ministry of Education, Culture and Research headed by Monica Babuc. The Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family will manage areas of activity of the Ministry of Health and will be named Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection led by Stela Grigoras. The Ministry of Regional Development and Construction will keep the regional development area and will take over areas of activity of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry and the Ministry of Environment and will be named Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment headed by Vasile Batca.

The same day, the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Moldova Farit Muhametshin was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration on July 26 in connection with the events set to take place in Moldova’s Transnistrian region on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the start of the peacekeeping mission on the left bank of the Nistru. In a press release, the Ministry said the Russian ambassador, in particular, was repeatedly warned about the inopportuneness of unilaterally organizing festivities on this occasion, with the participation of artists and official delegations of the Russian Federation. In this regard, it was invoked the fact that such actions can affect the Moldovan-Russian relations, but Chisinau wants these relations to be friendly, reliable and based on mutual respect.

The Cabinet on July 26 approved the concept of the state program “First House” that is designed to facilitate the access of private individuals, especially young families, to home loans that are partially guaranteed by the state. Through the agency of the program, applicants will be able to purchase apartments and homes on Moldova’s territory that were finished and made available for use before the submission of the application. Their price must not exceed 1 million lei. The beneficiary must pay an initial installment of 10% of the price. The loan for the “First House” will be provided by commercial banks and will be repayable in Moldovan lei in 25 years. The interest rate will consist of the average weighted interest rate on loans repayable in six to 12 months, communicated by the National Bank of Moldova, with a margin of up to 3% and an annual guarantee commission of 0.5% of the balance of the state guarantee.

On July 27, the Constitutional Court ruled that President Igor Dodon’s decree to hold a national consultative referendum is unconstitutional. Following a challenge filed by the Liberal Party, the Court held that the questions formulated for the plebiscite are outside the President’s area of competence and, consequently, cannot be the subjects of a referendum initiated by the Head of State. It noted it is against the spirit of the Constitution for the President, hiding under the phrase “problems of national interest, to initiate a referendum that entails the amendment of the Constitution or covers issues that are within the remit of the academic community. The decision is definitive and cannot be appealed. President Igor Dodon said the Constitutional Court’s decision represents defiance of the people and their freedom to state their opinion on subjects of national interests. According to him, the Court made use of different juridical stratagems to annul the referendum, probably at the suggestion of the government and also because the members of the CC are Romanian citizens who are panicked by the social effects of the referendum.

Domnica Manole was discharged from the post of judge of the Chisinau Appeals Court. The President’s dismissal decree was published in the Official Gazette on July 28. At the start of July, based on the appraisals of the Security and Intelligence Service, the Superior Council of Magistracy ruled that the judge of the Chisinau Appeals Court Domnica Manole was incompatible with the post of judge. The Council requested President Igor Dodon to dismiss her from post. The judge described then the decision as a political order and an illegal decision as this was taken in breach of the law.

Civic activists and veterans of the Nistru War on July 28 protested in front of the Chisinau International Airport, where a delegation headed by the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Rogozin was to arrive to take part in the festivities that were to be staged in Transnistria to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the start of the peacekeeping mission there. The plane that was heading for Chisinau could not enter the airspace of Romania and landed in Minsk. President Igor Dodon in a press briefing said a Russo-phobic show against the people is witnessed and accused the Democratic Party of staging this. He stated that even if Rogozin could not reach Chisinau, he will not annul his visit to Tiraspol, where he will have a meeting with the Transnistrian leader Vadim Krasnoselski.

The Buiucani office of the Court of Chisinau on July 28 ordered to suspend the Mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca until a definite judgment is passed in his case. The mayor is investigated for influence peddling and passive corruption in the case of pay parking lots. After the hearing, prosecutor Victoria Furtuna said the Court’s decision is legal and the suspension was requested because the mayor is accused of committing very serious offenses. Moreover, there will be questioned witnesses who are in labor relations with Dorin Chirtoaca. For his part, Dorin Chirtoaca said he was ready and expected such a decision because pressure on the part of the prosecution was felt a day ago. But his suspension wasn’t necessary given that he earlier announced he will not go to work until there is a definitive decision. It is important to get at the truth in this case and to clarify all the circumstances. The suspension decision will be challenged in the Appeals Court.

Selection by Alina Marin, IPN