More than 15,000 hectares of corn, wheat, soybean and rape fields, orchards and vineyards were damaged as a result of the torrential rain with hail that fell in Moldova the past few weeks. According to the head of the General Inspectorate for Emergencies Mihail Harabagiu, the farmers in a number of districts, such as Briceni, Cahul, Călărași, Dondușeni, Leova, Soroca and ATU Găgăuzia, suffered losses.
Following the latest political development, Switzerland calls on all political parties and institutions to engage in a peaceful dialogue to resolve this political crisis. “Calm and restraint shall prevail for the benefit of all Moldovans, says a statement disseminated by the Swiss Cooperation Office/Switzerland’s Diplomatic Representative Office in Moldova. “The Parliament of the Republic of Moldova has decided last Saturday to elect a new speaker and to form a new government. Switzerland is looking forward to continuing the implementation of its development cooperation assistance.”
France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland and Sweden adopted a joint statement saying in the current constitutional crisis, they see and support the Parliament of Moldova, as the representative of the people of Moldova, and as the best place to discuss all political issues including controversial ones. “Following the Parliamentary elections, a democratically elected Parliamentary majority has taken important decisions including the formation of a government. We call for calm and restraint. All the sides bear responsibility for the resolution of this constitutional crisis by peaceful means.”
Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs considers that in a democratic state, the will of the people, expressed by popular vote and reflected in the configuration of Parliament, is the only one that can ensure a legitimate process based on dialog. “Romania is expressing its full availability to further advance the Strategic Partnership for Moldova’s European Integration, which is at the core of our bilateral relationship, provided that Moldova strictly adheres to this Strategic Partnership and continues to firmly and consistently pursue its European course, including by implementing the Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with the European Union, and the reforms needed for getting closer to the EU,” said the Ministry.
The former president of the Constitutional Court Victor Pușcaș said he considers the Venice Commission will reach the conclusion that the Parliament and the Government of Moldova are legitimate. If, from political viewpoint, the attitude of other governments and Presidents is important for Moldova, from legal viewpoint it is the position of the Venice Commission that matters.
The vice president of the Democratic Party Andrian Candu said no one from outside the country and never can pronounce on the judgments passed by the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova. If this happens, it can be described as interference in the national legal system. If someone told him to ignore the CC rulings and to recognize the Sandu Government, he would be held accountable for ignoring the rulings.
Alina Inayeh, director of the German Marshall Fund/Black Sea Trust in Bucharest, in an opinion piece, says Russia is now supporting the anti-oligarchic effort in Chisinau to gain a chip in a broader game with the EU and the US. But also that Russia can no longer be used as a bogeyman by oligarchs in the region. “What is extraordinary about this weekend’s events is that the coalition between ACUM and the Socialists, and the consequent government, is supported by the EU, the United States, and Russia. Their respective ambassadors were present for the session of the parliament, and all have issued communiqués in support of the new government. This is highly unusual for a region where Russia and the transatlantic community compete for influence, and are at odds with each other,” says Alina Inayeh.
President Igor Dodon said a demonstration could be staged in support of the new Government this weekend or earlier. He noted he receives messages from people who ask him when to take to the streets. According to him, if the Democratic government decides to struggle till the end, the situation in the country will be most probably destabilized.
Prime minister Maia Sandu says the Democratic Party’s invitation to talk rather indicates its lack of will to comply with the law. She stated that any conversation can only take place after the immediate liberation of all state institutions and after all the “aggressive persons” surrounding the Government building are called off. Also, “after any form of threat is discontinued against public functionaries and the people of Moldova”.
PSRM and ACUM lawmakers today approved a bill upon first reading to annul the mixed electoral system and return to the proportional one. Presenting the bill, Sergiu Litvinenco (ACUM/PAS) said the mixed system needed to be annulled in accordance with the critical opinion of the Venice Commission. Litvinenco added that the bill also improves the electoral legislation by allowing Moldovans abroad to vote with expired passports.
A group of veterans of the Special Police Brigade “Fulger” said the formation of a parliamentary majority and the investing of the new Government are legitimate actions recognized by the main foreign players – the European Union, the U.S. and Russia. Asked by journalists which political parties aim to destabilize the situation in the country, veteran Constantin Covrig said this is the Democratic Party that ignores the vote of most of the people and refuses to ensure a civilized process of transferring the power, creating all the preconditions for usurping the power in the state and trying to instigate illegalities.
The European Court of Human Rights held that the Republic of Moldova violated the rights of the Turkish citizens who were expelled in September 2018. By its decision, the ECHR ordered that Moldova should pay by €25,000 in respect of non-pecuniary damage to each of the plaintiffs. According to the Court, the arrest of the plaintiffs in September 2018 was neither legal nor necessary and represented an illegal transfer of persons from Moldova’s territory to Turkey, which ignored all the guarantees provided by the national and international legislation.
A rendition of the Old Orhei Reserve executed in the Stereo Vision 3D technology is on display at the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History. Poland’s Ambassador Bartłomiej Zdaniuk stated at the launch ceremony that many years now Poland has been supporting cooperation projects in Moldova in political, economic and development fields. The exhibition marks the start of cooperation in the field of arts and culture.
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