Capital districts to be headed by mayors and district councils

Those 5 districts of Chisinau municipality will be headed by mayors and district councils, which will replace in this way the institution of preturs. The Parliament approved on Friday, July 14, a bill amending the Law on Local Public Administration, the Electoral Code and the Law on administrative-territorial organization of Moldova. In light of the amendments, the districts will have one mayor and 2 deputy mayors, and the municipality will have a general mayor and 4 deputy mayors. It is also provided for a local council in each district. Chisinau districts will have the same attributions as administrative-territorial units of first level. At the same time, the decisions of Chisinau Municipal Council and disposals with normative character of the general mayor will be compulsory for all district authorities. The changes to the Electoral Code stipulated the election of the mayors and district councils pursuant to the electoral legislation. Similar to the amendments operated yesterday to the Electoral Code, it is proposed to reduce the election threshold to 25% of electors, and in the case of repeated to exclude it. According to the authors - MPs of the Communist, Democratic and Christian-Democratic factions, the goal of the bill is to enlarge the opportunities of taking part in administrating the items of local concern for citizens of the districts; diminishing the current monopole of the municipal Council and mayoralty; creating conditions for different political forces to be represented in decision-making bodies etc. Several MPs of the faction Alliance „Moldova Noastra” criticized certain provisions of the bill, which, in their opinion, are against the international legislation and recommendations and „will lead to a total chaos”. According to MP Leonid Bujor, the fact that this bill was adopted in such a hurry shows that the leading party is aware of the fact that it will not win the elections of the municipality and creates premises to control at least some of the districts. If it will pass second reading, the bill will enter in force on the date of general local elections of 2007.