Moldovan MPs debate over law on Chisinau municipality’s status

15:30 | 08.04.2016 Category: Political

Chisinau, 8 April /MOLDPRES/-Moldovan MPs adopted a draft law on the status of Chisinau municipality in first reading today. The document endows the mayor with additional powers, including the right to appoint deputy mayors.

The debates on the document submitted by the Liberal Party (PL) raised discontent, especially among Socialist MPs, who accused Liberal leader Mihai Ghimpu of trying to grant all the power to actual mayor Dorin Chirtoaca. Ghimpu was shoved by Socialist MP Grigore Novac, after giving a speech at the Moldovan parliament's principal rostrum.

After debating it for more than two hours, Democrat, Liberal Democrat, Liberal MPs and MPs of the Social-Democrat Platform voted for the adoption of the draft law. Socialists, Communists and MPs of the European People’s Party of Moldova did not back the draft.

According to the new law, the general mayor will be fully in charge of appointing and dismissing deputy mayors, heads of departments, as well as managers and employees of departments subordinated to Chisinau mayoralty. The influence of Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC) will be thus reduced to the minimum.

“The mayor is in charge of appointing the employees in all local town halls. However, employees are appointed by the municipal council in Chisinau. We believe Chisinau mayor should also have the same attributions,” Ghimpu said.

“This draft law aims to grant all the power to general mayor Dorin Chirtoaca and limit the competencies of Chisinau Municipal Council. If this draft law gets voted, we will appeal it at the Constitutional Court,” Socialist MP Vlad Batrincea noted.

For his part, Liberal-Democrat MP Iurie Tap said “the draft law grants the mayor powers that should belong to Chisinau Municipal Council”. He suggested a working group be created, in order to clearly delimit their competencies. The proposal was accepted by MPs.

The new law on Chisinau municipality’s status is to be examined and adopted by the parliament in final reading.

(Reporter A. Plitoc, Editor L. Alcaza)

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