AEI LEADERS EXPLAIN THEIR FAILURE WAS DUE TO POOR COORDINATION AND TO OPPOSITION’S ACTIVITY
06.09.2010
The four party leaders of Moldova’s ruling Alliance for European Integration are saying today the yesterday’s constitutional referendum failed due to their “insufficiently high coordination of actions” and due to a high campaign activity of the opposition Communist Party.
Moldova’s Acting President and Parliament Chairman Mihai Ghimpu stated to journalists, “The Communists put pressure on voters, and blackmailed citizens even on the referendum day. We have received lots of signals showing the Communists made various violations. Their boycott of the referendum eventually developed into pressing on voters by means of the Communist mass media and using various dirty methods”.
“In such situation there is nothing left to do but to dissolve the Parliament and appoint a date for early parliamentary elections”, said the Parliament Speaker.
Moldovan Prime Minister Vladimir Filat, the parliamentary Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Filat stated to journalists last night that “the AEI leaders themselves are responsible for the referendum failure. The Alliance lacked coordination of actions. Each one was pulling the blanket on himself, and all were sure the referendum was doomed to a success. It is certainly bad that the referendum failed, but we should not make a tragedy of this”.
In his words, now the coalition should act proceeding from the legislation, “which means the incumbent Parliament must be dissolved and an early parliamentary elections must be held. We the Alliance will discuss when all this will happen. I will be insisting on having the elections as soon as only possible. We will start discussing this question in the Alliance already on Monday”.
The coalition’s former presidential candidate, Democratic Party Chairman Marian Lupu stated to journalists that some politicians from the democratic camp began rejoicing over referendum success too early.
“They believed from the very beginning that the referendum victory was already in their pocket. Accordingly, they did not care about making any explanatory work among the populace, but simply embarked on an election campaign. The parties did not work for the referendum, they worked for their leaders, whom they saw already as presidential candidates at a general presidential election. So, they simply confused and muddled up the electorate: instead of focusing on the forthcoming referendum, the parties were talking only about future elections. But now it appears there will be no elections”, said Marian Lupu.
The Alliance for European Integration is going to thoroughly discuss the new situation so as to take a decision. According to the law, the acting president must have dissolved the Parliament long ago – yet after its repeated unsuccessful attempts to elect president in 2009. However, Mihai Ghimpu did not do it, saying there was no final decision concerning a deadline for doing this.
It was initially believed that both presidential and early parliamentary elections might be held on November 14, 2010. But now, after the referendum failure, there will be no direct presidential elections, and parliamentary elections may well be put off until a later time.
Add comment