Socialists, Liberals sum up results of electoral campaign for referendum on dismissing Moldovan capital's mayor

Chisinau, 16 November /MOLDPRES/ - The faction of the Party of Socialists (PSRM) of the Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC) has summed up the results of the electoral campaign for the referendum on dismissing the Moldovan capital’s general mayor and called on citizens to back the mayor’s dismissal from office. At the same time, the head of the Liberal Party’s (PL) faction in CMC, Ion Cebanu, reiterated that the present referendum would be illegal and urged the Chisinau residents to boycott it.       

According to the head of the PSRM faction in CMC, Ion Ceban, the electoral campaign on holding the local referendum was correct. “We did not want to do politics, but to show the citizens the real state of the city. The capital is in a disastrous situation. In the last ten years, no social unit has been put into operation; yet, we saw how many other ones were closed and destroyed. We want to thank those who signed for the referendum’s organization and we hope that all citizens come to the referendum and support the dismissal of the mayor; we will have possibility to change the situation only in this way,” the Socialist councilor said.  

Contacted by MOLDPRES, the leader of the Liberals’ faction in CMC, Ion Cebanu, said that the plebiscite due to be held was illegal and the current electoral campaign was incorrect, as the Chisinau mayor had no possibility to participate in the campaign. “What is taking place now is a political game of the Socialists. The charges putting that nothing has been achieved during these years are not true, as we know that there are a lot of good things made by Mr. Chirtoaca during his office of mayor; therefore, we call on citizens to boycott the referendum. Nevertheless, in the last almost two years, no progress has been recorded because  of the blockage set by the Socialists, so that it is not fair for the latter to put the blame on the Liberals,” Cebanu specified.   

Two political formations, Party of Socialists and Liberal Party, registered in the electoral campaign for the local referendum on dismissing the Moldovan capital’s mayor. The other formations said they were boycotting the plebiscite or they were not getting involved in it in any way.  

The referendum on the dismissal of the Chisinau mayor will take place on 19 November. More than 160,000 votes are needed for the capital’s mayor to be dismissed. At the same time, for the plebiscite to be validated, not less than one third of those over 647,000 voters recorded in lists should participate in it. 

Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca has been leading Chisinau since 2007. Presently, Chirtoaca is prosecuted in two files for influence peddling and abuse of office and is subject to legal restrictions. The Moldovan capital’s mayor, who is temporarily suspended from office, pleads not guilty.  

(Reporter A. Ciobanu, editor M. Jantovan)