Moldovan parliament starts autumn-winter session with serious accusations

Chisinau, 15 October /MOLDPRES/- The parliament today held the first meeting of its autumn-winter session to decide upon the Chisinau downtown-protesters, who demand a joint meeting between the government, parliament and presidency to fulfill their claims. The Party of Socialists (PSRM) and supporters of the “Partidul Nostru” (Our Party) political group said they would surround the parliament building.

Equipped policemen guard the parliament’s headquarters and are ready to face possible violence.

Parliament Speaker Andrian Candu said the leaders of the parliamentary factions traditionally gave speeches.

The first to deliver his speech at the parliament’s rostrum was the PSRM leader Igor Dodon, who firstly addressed to “those who work, suffer, and actually represent Moldova”. “The one-billion-lei robbery will condemn us to decades of poverty. Your criminal schemes and price rises are robbing the people,” Dodon said. He demanded the resignation of the general prosecutor, leadership of the Intelligence and Security Service (SIS) and the National Anticorruption Centre (CNA), as well as the resignation of President Nicolae Timofti.

The leader of the Moldovan Party of Communists (PCRM), Vladimir Voronin, reproached Dodon for backing the election of Nicolae Timofti as state president, and for demanding his resignation now. “Timofti managed to maintain the balance of Moldova’s presidency,” Voronin said. He also noted that the Communists were ready to vote for the “demission of all those mentioned by the Dignity and Truth Platform”. As for the government, Voronin said: "We do not raise the problem of the government's dismissal, but of certain members."      

The leader of the Liberal Democratic Party ( PLDM), Vlad Filat, said he did not need legislative immunity. Filat added that his party had suggested that the legislative immunity be cancelled, yet, PCRM had not backed the initiative.  

“If it is not possible to reform Moldova, then we have to rebuild it. We have to correct mistakes and impose values we believe in. And we must start doing this now,” Filat said. According to him, the snap elections protesters and the opposition are so eagerly asking for, will not solve anything, as Moldova’s EU integration is not subject to negotiation.

“The current parliamentary session has started amidst tense circumstances, in which we have, on one hand, the citizens’ discontent, and on the other hand, more groups of provokers, who represent different camps and interests, who try to enforce various plans, by taking advantage of people’s discontent. Some individuals, who are keen to fulfill their interests, influenced both from outside and inside the country, are glad to see Moldova vulnerable,” the leader of the Democratic Party (PD), Marian Lupu said.  

He asked the MPs, including the unaffiliated ones, to realize the complicated consequences the lack of a parliamentary majority would have in Moldova. Lupu urged them to vote in compliance with Moldova’s interests; he voiced regret that unaffiliated MPs had not been invited to attend the dialogue on creating a new legislative majority, adding that this matter could be brought back into discussion.

The leader of the Liberal Party (PL), Mihai Ghimpu, was confident that the current ruling parties were able to regain people’s trust. “Time is ripe for us to prove that we can build a state with a functional economy. We should start by completing the justice reform and fighting corruption, that will bring foreign finance as well," Ghimpu said.

General Prosecutor Corneliu Gurin demanded that the parliament waives Vlad Filat’s parliamentary immunity, who is suspected of being involved in the Moldovan state savings bank (Banca de Economii) robbing affair.   

The parliament’s autumn-winter session will have a full agenda. MPs are set to examine approximately 80 normative documents on the implementation of Moldova-EU Association Agreement. Justice, health, social insurance, energy and business development reforms are also included on the parliament’s priority list.

(Reporter: V. Bercu, editor: F. Galaico)