Balti municipal council votes for referendum to dismiss mayor Usatii

Chisinau, 3 January /MOLDPRES/- Balti Municipal Council, convened today in extraordinary session, voted the decision on organization of the referendum to dismiss Mayor Renato Usatii. 27 out of the 35 local representatives ruled on the decision.

In late December 2017, Renato Usatii asked Balti municipal council, in which “Partidul Nostru” (Out Party) holds the majority, to initiate the procedure of convening a local referendum for his dismissal. “We believe that the citizens of Balti have the right to express their choice in one of the most democratic procedures if they want or do not Renato Usatii as mayor. The referendum will be a serious attempt not only for the current mayor, but also for the central authorities who will be able to demonstrate justice in a fair and democratic way,” PN counselor Nicolai Grigorisin said at a today’s meeting.

At the same time, the representative of the State Chancellery reminded local officials from Balti on the way of establishing the draft decision on initiating the referendum. The official said that the lawfulness of the document can only be appreciated by the court, and read an article of the Electoral Code, which indicates some inaccuracies in the draft decision. “I urge you to leave party emotions and to comply with the legal framework”, he said. However, 27 councilors from Balti still voted for the referendum.

A local referendum on dismissal of the mayor may be initiated by 10 per cent of the citizens eligible to vote, or 2/3 of the elected councilors. The “Our Party” faction holds the majority in the Balti municipal council and can vote for the referendum.

Under the legislation, no less than the number of voters who voted for his election should vote for his dismissal. Thus, if Usatii was elected in the first round by 72 per cent of the number of voters, a similar number of voters should vote for his dismissal. Earlier, PN leader said that if at least 51 per cent of participants in the referendum vote for his dismissal, provided that the same number of voters is presented as in the 2015 elections, then he will resign.

(Reporter L. Grubîi, editor L. Alcază)