Radio România Internațional

Tag: government

  • A new Prime Minister in Moldova

    A new Prime Minister in Moldova

    The Parliament of the Republic of Moldova has avoided early elections, by giving its vote of confidence to the government headed by businessman Chiril Gaburici, supported by a minority alliance made up of two pro-European parties, the Liberal Democratic Party and the Democratic Party, but also by the communists. Gaburici was proposed Prime Minister by the Liberal Democratic Party, following Iurie Leancas failure last week to get a majority of favorable votes from Moldovan MPs. The new cabinet, approved with 60 votes in favour, out of a total of 101, gathering most members of the previous cabinet, has been sworn in before the president of the country, Nicolae Timofti. The president has stated that Parliament has thus conveyed a powerful message that the Republic of Moldova has entered a period of political stability. Here is Prime Minister Chiril Gaburici talking about the new governments goals:



    “The government will ensure continuity with regard to promoting democratic values, reforms and European integration. Strengthening the rule of law will be an absolute priority for this government. Eliminating all barriers hindering the good functioning of the business environment is another major goal. Also, the fight against corruption will be high on our agenda.”



    Chiril Gaburici talked about improving the business environment and removing all obstacles that prevent the economy from growing. He also stressed the need for the Republic of Moldova to keep getting closer to the EU, but also the importance of strengthening ties with traditional allies, of carrying on negotiations on the Transdniestr issue and the withdrawal of Russian troops from Moldovan soil. Iurie Leanca, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, did not vote in favour of the new government, because, he said, a minority government, based on an alliance with the communists, would affect the commitment to European integration and the implementation of effective reforms. Iurie Leanca:



    “Today is a day when we have taken a step backwards on our road to European accession. We have a minority government built on the basis of a coalition with the communist party, whose democratic principles and respect for the rule of law, just like its commitment to European integration and genuine reforms, are debatable, to say the least.”



    The new Moldovan government took office against a rather complicated economic background, with both imports and exports dropping, and with a financial and banking market getting more unstable by the day. Since the beginning of the year, the Moldovan currency has depreciated by over 30% against the USD and the Euro, and prices have gone up.




  • New Government in Moldova

    New Government in Moldova

    Two of the three pro-European parties in the Moldovan Parliament, the Liberal-Democrats (PLDM) and the Democrats (PD) on Friday announced their merging into a coalition called the Alliance for a European Moldova. The coalition is aimed at creating an executive framework most probably headed by the incumbent Prime Minister Iurie Leanca from the PLDM. In their turn the Democrats have already appointed former economy minister Andrian Candu as Parliament Speaker. The difference as compared to governments of the past five years is that the coalition does not include the third pro-Western political group, the Liberal Party, and that the future Government will not have majority in Parliament, and will thus need the support of the communists to consolidate their position and implement policies.



    The Liberal-Democrats and the Democrats are holding only 42 out of a total 101 MP seats. Without the 13 votes of the Liberals, which would have ensured it a relatively comfortable majority, the Moldovan Government is actually relying on the ex-soviet Bolsheviks, more attached to Moscow than Brussels. Their leader, Vladimir Voronin the former autocratic president of the republic between 2001 and 2009, who was an ex-militia general back in late 80s, is seen as the personification of evil by supporters of European integration. He was forced to step down in April 2009 in the wake of large-scale street protests brutally repressed by the police forces, which killed one man and severely wounded many others.



    Under a slogan that became famous in the day, ‘I refuse and resist, I am an anti-communist!’ hundreds have again taken to the streets of Chishinau calling for the communists’ completely removal from the new political formula, the setting up of a pro-European coalition, the reform of the country’s legal system and fighting corruption, including through naming a prosecutor general from an EU member country, preferably from the neighboring Romania. The protesters’ claims largely coincide with the agenda of the Liberals, who chose to stay in opposition. Liberal leader and former interim president Mihai Ghimpu has said that he is ready to resume talks with the Liberal-Democrats and the Democrats, if both sides renounce the agreement signed on Friday and pay heed to the recommendations of European leaders, who made great efforts in an attempt to save the three-party government formula.



    Last week, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis again pledged to pay a visit to the Republic of Moldova, shortly after the new government was instated. During the election campaign of November, he went to Chisinau to offer support to the pro-European leaders. Iohannis has reiterated hope that the new Parliament will soon endorse a strong Executive with a firm European agenda. For the time being, the new governing coalition fails to meet both conditions.