Former democratic coalition in Chisinau Council seeking for new joint strategy to go on

The factions of the Liberal Party (PL), of the Moldova Noastra Alliance (AMN) and of the Liberal-Democratic Party (PLDM) from the former democratic coalition in the Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC) are seeking for a new joint strategy to go on working within the CMC, already as a minority coalition. After the sitting announced by the PL leader Mihai Ghimpu for 9 o'clock on Tuesday, May 10, had failed, because of lack of quorum, the faction leaders have agreed the old coalition does not exist any longer and have decided to withdraw to discuss how they will co-work with the new majority, Info-Prim Neo reports. Out of 51 CMC councilors, the sitting has been joined by only 17 members of the PL, AMN, PLDM and PDM. Asa was earlier announced, the other councilors representing the Communists Party (PCRM), the Christian-Democratic People's Party (PPCD), the Social-Democratic party (PSD), the Christian-Humanist party and the social-political movement Ravnopravie were to gather for the sitting announced by Eduard Musuc for 10.00, but neither that sitting took place. Mihai Ghimpu has said Eduard Musuc (PSD) and Alexandru Roman (PCRM) as the CMC president and, respectively, the sitting chairman, lodged a notification demanding to postpone the sitting till June 19, at 10.00 a.m. Mihai Ghimpu has also insisted that the Friday sitting, on June 6, did not end, as the order of the day was not finished, as the decisions taken were not signed by the president of the sitting and counter-signed by the CMC secretary. Thus, convening a new sitting is illegal. This opinion has been backed by the councilors Corina Fusu (PL) and Oleg Cernei (AMN), who remarked that the Government's representative to the CMC made pressure upon the CMC secretary, Valeriu Didenco, to counter-signed the decision on dismissing Mihai Ghimpu from the position of CMC president. Corina Fusu has stated Eduard Musuc abusively proclaimed himself as the CMC president, following a commission from PCRM, who does not want to put up “with the idea it lost control over the capital and want to reserve the situation.” General mayor Dorin Chirtoaca (PL), present at the sitting, has urged the councilors “not to yield the power in the capital,” not to repeat the situation from 1992, when the democratic leadership of the parliament resigned, and “to resists the Communists”. The mayor has also mentioned that those 27 councilors, who had voted for to dismiss Mihai Ghimpu “used as a pretext the Chisinau people's problems in order to hit the Chisinau democracy.” Because they already have a majority of votes, they could have shown up at the Tuesday sitting, in order to solve the citizens' problems, Chirtoaca has said, suggesting they realize their decision is illegal. In order to unblock the CMC's work, Mihai Ghimpu suggested to use a CMC decision from 1999 through which the mayor was granted a series of prerogatives of the CMC. That decision was then sued by the Government, but was left valid by the Supreme Court of Justice. According to participants in the sitting, a year ago, the Local Administration Ministry applied to cancel that decision, still it was left valid by the Court. Ghenadie Gluscenco, the Ministry's representative in the CMC, insisted the decision was not valid as it is inferior to the Law on Public Administration, modified twice since then. The idea to come up with a new strategy came from councilors Oazu Nantoi (Democratic Party) and Alexandru Tanase (PLDM). “It is clear we don't have the majority of votes and we must decide how we'll work further. Willy-nilly we'll have to talk with the opposing side, too,” Tanase has said. The proposal was accepted by Mihai Ghimpu. “In politics, he who has patience is the one who wins,” he said. In another context, the AMN councilor, Oleg Cernei, has insisted he was mistakenly understood when he was quoted with the statement that many young Communists were waiting in the precincts of the Free International University on Friday, June 6. He said they were waiting outside.