The Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (PDM) is concerned about the situated created at the level of the local public authorities and calls on the European Parliament and the Council of Europe to immediately delegate a monitoring group to assess the state of democracy at the local level. Representatives of the political party said the ruling Democratic Party (PDM), through blackmail, political, legal or police pressure, seized power at the local level. This points to a low level of democracy on which work has been done during many years.
The PLDM’s leader Viorel Cibotaru, in a news conference at IPN on January 25, said the local public authorities are being destroyed in Moldova. Of the 287 seats of mayor won by the PLDM after the local general elections of 2015, only 60 continue to be held by Lib-Dems. The other mayors were recruited by the PDM by different illegal methods. The local power is being usurped. The votes of people are being stolen and steps are being taken to prepare for the upcoming parliamentary elections so as to ensure a favorable position for the PDM. The financial resources allocated from the center to the local authorities are distributed exclusively by political criteria. Many communities remain outside development projects.
Deputy chairman of the PLDM Tudor Deliu said that what is going on in the country’s settlements cannot be described in words. The principles of local self-government and decentralization are seriously violated. The local authorities have become very dependent on the government. The PDM controls most of the settlements in the country.
According to the mayor of Cimislia town Gheorghe Raileanu, it is rumored that the PDM has sufficient representatives of the local public authorities to form an association and no longer needs the Congress of Local Public Authorities. It is also said that the number of mayor’s offices will be decreased and only those managed by persons loyal to the PDM will be kept.
Ion Terguta, a member of the PLDM’s Political Bureau, spoke about the new local elections held in ten communities last November. Before the elections, six of these communities had Liberal-Democratic mayors, who were forced by different methods to vacate the seat. All the ten new mayor elected represent the PDM. Other persons who wanted to run in the elections were prevented by different ways. “At the local level, the Republic of Moldova becomes hostage, as it did at the central level. The Republic of Moldova turns into a captured state,” said Ion Terguta.
After the local general elections of June 2015, the PLDM won 287 seats of mayor, 259 seats of district and municipal councilors and 2 765 seats in town and village councils.
