Moldovan speaker says protesters’ demands cannot be fulfilled

Chisinau, 23 January /MOLDPRES/-During a news conference on 22 January in the evening, Parliament Speaker Andrian Candu said protesters’ demands could not be fulfilled as snap elections was not a good solution for Moldova.

According to Candu, their request to cancel the parliament’s vote of confidence for the government headed by Prime Minister Pavel Filip would also stay unanswered, as the investiture procedure was carried out legally.

“While discussing the protesters’ claims with the rest of the parliamentary majority, we tried to look for necessary legal mechanisms to trigger snap elections. We have also consulted with more lawyers and ascertained that eventual elections in the near time could only be held if a president fails to be elected in Moldova. There are no other grounds to trigger them. As for the new government, the annulment of a vote in favour of a consumed act, such as its investiture, is illegal and it cannot be discussed,” Candu said.

The Moldovan speaker invited the three leaders of the protesters, Igor Dodon, Renato Usatii and Andrei Nastase, to prove the legality of triggering snap elections in these circumstances, on 25 January.  

“The parliamentary majority believes that dialogue should go on. We continue to be open to talks with the three groups of protesters and we call for calm. State institutions are ready to ensure the safety of the country and its citizens. All protests should be peaceful and legal,” Candu said.

A new cabinet of ministers headed by Prime Minister Pavel Filip was sworn on 20 January with the vote of 57 MPs. This fact caused massive protests, which continued for the third day in a row on 22 January.

(Reporter A. Plitoc, Editor M. Jantovan)