Party switching in Moldova’s Parliament started in 2001. Moreover, the MPs were bought not only for changing parties, but also for voting the President or the prosecutor general, PPPDA MP Vasile Năstase said in a public debate entitled “How much and how Parliament worked for the people during spring-summer session?”, which was staged by IPN News Agency.
“Party switching wasn’t invented in the current Parliament. Everyone knows that at least 14 MPs of the Liberal Democratic Party were forced to join the PDM. Remember what happened in Gagauzia when the Democratic Party had no councilor and at a certain moment already had 19 councilors. Why should we blame the current Parliament for such things? Remember Zinaida Grechanyi, Igor Dodon who left the Party of Communists. Such things are old. Their frequency probably started to be noticed in 2001, since Voronin’s rule. In the other periods, when Luchinski and Snegur held office, there weren’t such happenings. We surely condemn this phenomenon!” stated Vasile Năstase.
The MP noted this phenomenon is not normal and the history of party switching can be followed through the former parties that ruled, through the ex-leader of the PDM Vladimir Plahotniuc and the incumbent President of Moldova Igor Dodon.
“We are categorically against party switching when this is fueled by corruption, by buying and selling as at the market and so on. In theory, if an MP does not identify himself with the party, this should be an exception as the mandate is not imperative and this can serve as an independent or leave Parliament. What is going on in the Republic of Moldova is a phenomenon that surely must be combated and condemned as those who left weren’t dissatisfied with the party’s politics, but left because they were corrupted,” noted Vasile Năstase.
He also said that amendments are introduced there where they do not belong because of particular interests and this is another phenomenon. “The government coalition permanently tried to feint Parliament and the opposition.”
The debate “How much and how Parliament worked for the people during spring-summer session?” was the 145th installment of the series “Developing political culture through public debates” that is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation of Germany.
