Moldovan president-elect sworn in office
14:07 | 23.12.2016 Category: Political
Chisinau, 23 December /MOLDPRES/ - New President of Moldova Igor Dodon was sworn in office today.
At the investiture ceremony, held at the Chisinau-based Palace of the Republic, the president-elect took the promissory oath before the parliament members and the judges of the Constitutional Court.
“I thank the citizens for the trust given. I promise that I will not disappoint you. I will make the people live better and will remain loyal to the commitments set forth. I will endeavour to be the president of everybody. Let us put aside the political ambitions and unite for a prosperous, free and independent future,” Igor Dodon said.
About 700 persons were invited to the ceremony in all. Among the guests attending the event, there were Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Mikhail Rusiy, Vice-Chair of the Europe of Nations and Freedom Group Edouard Ferrand and Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Shavarsh Mikaelovici. Also, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Rogozin was to participate in the event too. Yet, because of the bad weather, the plane with the Russian official onboard could not land at the Chisinau airport and was re-directed to Budapest.
During the ceremony of swearing in office of the new Moldovan president, more supporters of the Party of Socialists (PSRM) gathered outside the Palace of the Republic to back Igor Dodon in his new position. At the same time, the lawmakers of the Liberal Party, Liberal Democratic Party, European People’s Party of Moldova and Party of Communists said they would not take part in the investiture ceremony, as “they do not recognize the lawfulness of the presidential polls and the statements by the new head of state.”
The Moldovan president has a four-year mandate and exercises it starting from the date of taking the oath.
Igor Dodon was declared winner of the presidential elections, after he had picked up the majority of the ballots in the runoff held in last November. Thus, Igor Dodon is officially the fifth president of Moldova and the third president elected by direct voting.
(Reporter A. Plitoc, editor L. Alcaza)
