The Liberal Party decided to register as a participant in the November 19 referendum to dismiss the mayor of Chisinau initiated by the Socialist in order to defend the honor and dignity of the first deputy chairman of the PL Dorin Chirtoaca, the Liberal leader Mihai Ghimpu stated in a news conference on October 23. He noted that the party’s application was accepted by the Chisinau District Electoral Council, IPN reports. According to the Liberal leader, the party has to take part in the referendum so as to prevent the Socialists from fulfilling the Kremlin’s mission to take the Republic of Moldova towards the Russian Federation. It is not about Dorin Chirtoaca’s inability to manage things in the municipality.
The Integrity Council of the National Integrity Authority on October 23 rejected the applications of the ex-candidates for the post of NIA president Teodor Carnat and Victor Stratila to be allowed to take again the polygraph test. Sergiu Ostaf, who chaired the meeting, said the applications were rejected because the law does not envision the rerun of the polygraph test. Teodor Carnat and Victor Stratila can initiate the individual procedure for challenging in court the Council’s decision and can eventually ask to organize a new polygraph test.
Eugen Sturza was sworn in as minister of defense. On October 24, after Speaker of Parliament Andrian Candu, who holds office of President of Moldova on an interim basis, signed the decree by which Eugen Sturza was appointed minister of defense, the minister designate took an oath of allegiance at the State Residence. Andrian Candu said the Republic of Moldova needs a functional government and functional institutions as well as a functional army and ministry of defense, with functional administration. Attending the ceremony, Prime Minister Pavel Filip said an uncertain period that lasted too long in the Republic of Moldova came to an end and from today the Ministry of Defense will have a manger. For his part, Eugen Sturza said he would like the Republic of Moldova to turn from a consumer of security into a provider of security. The National Army needs to be modernized and its personnel should be extended and trained. After the investiture, President Igor Dodon said the government will fall into its own trap. He noted that the appointment of the minister of defense is beyond political legitimacy and shows how impotence makes the government to commit serious mistakes.
Seven persons – three inspectors of the remand prison of the Chisinau Police Division and four detainees – will appear before court in the case of Andrei Braguta, who died in penitentiary at the end of this August. The case was sent to court on October 24. According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, the policemen are accused of allowing four cellmates of the victim to commit acts of torture against Andrei Braguta and of subjecting the man to inhuman treatment. The detainees are investigated on remand, while the police officers under house arrest. They face 8 to 15 years in jail. Ten more police officers of the remand prison of the Chisinau Police Division are investigated for treating the victim inhumanly. Prosecutors also investigate the actions taken by decision makers of state institutions in whose custody the victim was. There were started two separate cases, on abuse of power and on violation of the rules and methods of providing medical assistance out of negligence.
The European Parliament on October 25 adopted the EU Council’s position on the 2018 EU Budget compiled by MEP Siegfried Muresan as the EP’s chief negotiator for the 2018 EU Budget by 414 votes in favor, 163 against and 90 abstentions. By adopting this, the European Parliament accepted Siegfried Muresan’t proposal to increase allocations for the Eastern Neighborhood states, including Moldova, by €27 million to €619 million from 2018. The approved rise is additional to the increase of about 48 million included by the European Commission in the 2018 Draft Budget following a request made by MEP Siegfried Muresan. Unlike the macro-financial assistance, this money is intended for projects with European financing and will not reach the government. The European Parliament also accepted the MEP’s request to increase the allocations for investments at the European level in jobs and safety and rejected the EU Council’s request to decrease the 2018 EU Budget by €1.7 billion compared with the initial proposal of the European Commission.
The Moldova – EU Parliamentary Association Committee had a meeting in Strasbourg on October 25. The Moldovan delegation consisted of Deputy Speaker Iurie Leanca, co-chairman of the Committee, MP Igor Vremea, deputy chairman of the Committee, and MPs Sergiu Sarbu, Gheorghe Mocanu, and Oxana Domenti. The agenda of the meeting included an exchange of opinions on the cooperation between the Republic of Moldova and the EU, the current implementation stage of the Association Agreement, sector reforms, cooperation in the energy sector, public administration reform, trade and related issues. In a meeting with the Deputy Speaker of Moldova’s Parliament Iurie Leanca, MEP Norica Nicolai said justice is a sector where the Republic of Moldova faces delays. If the justice sector reform was completed, the access to the €100 million that Chisinau was to receive would be opened. According to a press release of the Group of the European People’s Party of Moldova, Norica Nicolai said the EU should support the Republic of Moldova so as not to allow the development course to be changed. As a result of the meeting, the members of Moldova’s Parliament and of the European Parliament adopted a set of recommendations. By these, Moldova is requested to stick to the reform path, to fight corruption and to avoid the polarization of society during the key electoral year 2018. The members of the Parliamentary Association Committee requested the Moldovan authorities and EU institutions to cooperate more intensely so as to realize the whole potential of the Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement. The electoral system reform was one of the most sensitive issues in the debate. The MEPs underlined the importance of ensuring the impartiality when establishing single-member electoral districts. The MPs requested the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly and the Eastern Partnership Summit to show ambition and pragmatism before the legitimate expectations of the Eastern partners so as to obtain concrete results for the citizens of these states and to eliminate the roaming taxes so that the citizens of the EaP countries benefit from the EU’s successes too.
The Cabinet on October 25 decided to initiate talks on the signing of a protocol agreed by exchange of notes between the Government of Moldova and the Government of Ukraine to supplement the Visa-Free Agreement signed by the sides on May 18, 2001. The protocol was drafted following difficulties identified in the international passenger and goods transport. It provides for the non-application of Article 1 of the Agreement to vehicle drivers, navigating personnel and trains personnel of the two states that are on duty when crossing the state border. The goal is to facilitate the mutual travel for categories of persons who often cross the border owing to their job and thus stay longer than 90 days on the territory of one of the two states during a period of 180 days.
The primary organizations of the Party of Socialists (PSRM) on October 28 started to collect signatures in favor of changing the form of government in Moldova, from parliamentary republic to presidential republic. When the campaign is over, the party’s National Council will introduce the given objective in the Socialists’ electoral program for the 2018 parliamentary elections. The Socialist leader Zinaida Grecheanyi told a news conference that the switchover to another form of government is the wish of the majority of Moldovans, who no longer trust the current government. According to Zinaida Grecheanyi, the party’s activists intend to collect 2 million signatures. The Socialists said the current government does not represent the interests of the people given that a number of political parties were intentionally tore up after the elections of 2014 and a parliamentary majority that promotes the interests of one man was formed. The local offices of the PSRM will be daily open to people who will want to sign in favor of the presidential republic.
Selection by Elena Nistor
