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 May: Registration of Party “Action and Solidarity” led by Maia Sandu.
On May 3, the Public Broadcaster “Teleradio-Moldova” launched the public TV channel Moldova 2.
on May 5, the police carried out searches at the homes of four of the participants in the April 24 antigovernment protest organized by the Civic Platform “Dignity and Truth”. The four were suspected of causing public disorder on the day of the protest. Two of them have a criminal record and had been convicted of thefts and maltreatment. It hasn’t been yet announced if some of those suspects were convicted in this case or not.
Moldova’s representative at the 61st Eurovision Song Contest Lidia Isac failed to qualify for the final in the first semifinal of the contest held on May 10. The contest was won by Ukraine.
The initiative group for creating the Party “Action and Solidarity” (PAS) on May 19 submitted the application and file for registering the new party. The file contained over 6,000 applications for joining PAS collected in 18 districts and in the municipalities of Balti and Chisinau. The party was registered at the Ministry of Justice on May 26. Maia Sandu was elected chairwomen. In autumn, she ran in the presidential elections, but lost the runoff to Socialist candidate Igor Dodon.
On May 31, the provisions of the anti-tobacco law took effect. The law bans smoking in all closed and semi-closed public areas, including places for common use and at the workplace, regardless of the type of ownership and way of access. According to the European Health Report 2012, Moldova ranks fourth by the number of smokers, after Armenia, Belarus, and Ukraine. In the Republic of Moldova, 27% of the population smokes. The law is respected by recreational places, with small exceptions. At stations and in parks, the people continue to smoke, even if it is banned.
Selection by Mariana Galben, IPN.
