The investing of the Filip Government, protests, direct presidential elections after a period of about 20 years and other events marked the year 2016. At yearend, IPN News Agency presents the most important events of each of the 12 months of the year.
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Key event of July: Parliament votes in the final reading amendments to the Law on Public Associations, the so-called 2% Law
In the July 1 sitting, Parliament voted in the final reading the 2016 draft state budget law that provided for incomes of 48.5 billion lei and an expenditure of 52.7 billion lei. The budget deficit of 4.2 billion lei was to be mainly covered with external financing sources and with internal resources earned from privatization. A number of 51 MPs of the 83 attending voted in favor. The revenues were projected to total 36.3% of the GDP, up 0.5 percentage points compared with the 2015 state budget revenues.
The heavy rain of July 3 caused havoc in the districts of Criuleni, Ungheni, Leova, Cantemir, Cimislia, Glodeni and Straseni and in the municipalities of Chisinau and Balti. Local roads and house roofs were damaged, trees were downed and a number of cars got stuck in water.
On July 3, the National Political Council of the Party “Action and Solidarity” (PAS) nominated Maia Sandu as a candidate for the presidential elections. Afterward, as a result of negotiations between the PAS, Liberal Democratic Party and Party “Platform Dignity and Truth”, Maia Sandu was fielded as a joint candidate for President. Maia Sandu lost the presidential runoff to Igor Dodon.
On July 5, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Rogozin paid a visit to Chisinau. In an enlarged-format meeting, they discussed issues concerning the bilateral commercial-economic relations, in particular the export of Moldovan goods to Russia, the removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers in the bilateral trade and simplification of the import of agrifood and wine products into Russia.
On July 13, dozens of small traders gathered together in front of the Government Building and demanded that the executive should endorse an initiative to abrogate the legal provisions that ban trade based on patent as of 2017. The protesters said these provisions will criminalize their activities and they will have to leave their families and go abroad to work. The small traders mounted new protests later. On December 16, Parliament, at the suggestion of the Government, adopted a bill to allow patent-based trade until December 31, 2018.
On July 21, Parliament passed in the second, final reading amendments to the Law on Public Associations, the so-called 2% Law that enables private individuals to direct 2% of the paid income tax to nongovernmental or religious organizations. The law clearly defines the purpose of this money. The public associations can use it only to support education, science, culture, sport, health and social protection, while the religious organizations only for social, moral, cultural or charity activities.
Also on July 21, the Socialist MPs proposed a no confidence motion against the Government led by Pavel Filip. The motion was signed by 34 Socialist, Liberal-Democratic and Communist MPs. It was submitted after the legislative body didn’t support the Socialist MPs’ initiative to invite Prime Minister Pavel Filip to Parliament to question him about the work done by the Government in the first half of 2016. In another sitting where the motion was debated, this was supported by only 30 MPs and thus failed.
On July 30, Parliament named Liberal MP Veaceslav Untila as chairman of the Audit Office instead of Serafim Urechean, who was invested in April 2011. The Audit Office head is appointed by Parliament for a five-year term at the suggestion of the Speaker of Parliament, by a majority of votes of MP.
Selection by Anastasia Rusu, IPN
