Moldovan premier-designate to ask for parliament's confidence vote by end of week

Chisinau, 18 January /MOLDPRES/-Prime Minister-designate Pavel Filip after today’s consultations with a part of the parliamentary majority, said the government action programme would be ready in two days and he would ask for the parliament’s vote of confidence on it by the end of this week.

Filip held talks with the factions of the Democratic Party (PDM), Liberal Party (Pl), the group of 14 MPs, members of the Social-Democratic Parliamentary Platform for Moldova (PSDM) and the group of seven Liberal-Democrat MPs.

During the meetings, the prime minister-designate spoke about his view on how to overcome current economic and social challenges. He also unveiled his opinion on the basic principles of the government action programme and criteria upon which future ministers will be selected.

“Today’s meetings were very constructive. Our main goal is to create a government action programme in two days, based on the previous one. The main priority is to continue the pro-European course. We have not discussed about sharing functions yet, however, we agreed that the future government would be a political one. We created four working groups today, in charge of editing the action programme, completing it and including all the suggestions of the parliamentary factions in it,” Filip said.

According to PSDM representative, MP Violeta Ivanov, the dialogue focused on the government action programme. “We believe that the government headed by Pavel Filip will be a good and competent one, able to handle all the challenges in order to ensure welfare in the society,” Ivanonv said.

Liberal-Democrat MP Ion Balan said “the group of seven Liberal-Democrat MPs, who signed for the designation of Pavel Filip as prime minister, do not give up on the goals their party has previously announced". During the meeting, we reiterated that these requirements be included in the government action programme. We are waiting for other Liberal-Democrat colleagues to join the parliamentary majority,” Balan said.

At the end of the last week, the factions of the Socialist Party (PSRM), Liberal-Democratic Party (PLDM) and the European People’s Party of Moldova (PPEM) announced that they switched to opposition and would not back the candidacy of Pavel Filip for the office of prime minister. MPs of the Party of Communists (PCRM) have not announced a decision to this effect so far.

Moldovan President Nicolae Timofti signed a decree on 15 January, appointing acting Information Technology and Communications Minister Pavel Filip as prime minister-designate.

According to a ruling of the Constitutional Court (CC), the parliament will be dissolved and snap elections shall be held, if the investiture of a new government fails to happen in Moldova by 29 January 2016.

(Reporter A. Plitoc, Editor L. Alcaza)