MPs assail Premier designate with questions

Moldova's Prime Minister elect Vlad Filat was besieged with questions from the government coalition as well as from the parliamentary group of the Communist Party (PCRM). The questions poured out after Vlad Filat asked the MPs to give a vote of trust to the government program of the new Cabinet and to approve its composition, Info-Prim Neo reports. Former Premier Zinaida Greceanyi asked her 'successor' why the new government includes only one woman. Filat said that this thing will not affect the government's work. “We can see, Mister Prime Minister designate, we can see,” Greceanyi replied. Liberal MP Corina Fusu approved of the new government's intentions to ensure the freedom of the press, but asked what first steps will be taken to improve the situation at the national public broadcaster Teleradio-Moldova. “The first step will be the modification of the legislation and the guaranteeing of the editorial independence of this institution,” Filat answered. Communist MP Iurie Stoicov asked Vlad Filat why the Cabinet does not include at least one representative of the national minorities as he pledged to support them. “For the simple reason that we do not make a difference between yours and ours,” Filat replied. Communist MP Iurie Muntean asked if the future government will privatize such companies as Tutun CTC, Banca de Economii and others. “By denationalizing the state-run companies, we will augment the budget. The privatization will create competition conditions for the economic entities,” Filat answered. Vasile Sova, the former Minister of Reintegration and Communist MP, asked the candidate for Deputy Prime Minister for reunification matters Victor Osipov what measures they will take to support the Transnistrian population. Osipov answered that all the measures will be correlated with those specified in the executive's government program. When Sova said that he was not satisfied with Osipov's answer, Speaker Mihai Ghimpu ordered that his microphone be closed. “It is not within the government's competence to ensure the state of law as it should only observe this principle,” said Oleg Reidman, MP on behalf of the PCRM. He also said that the Speaker allows only the MPs from the coalition to ask questions, stressing that the microphone for the Opposition MPs is more often disconnected.