​DEMOCRATIC PARTY STANDS AGAINST ADJOURNING LOCAL ELECTIONS – MARIAN LUPU

Democratic Party leader Marian Lupu has stated the DP does not support the idea to postpone the mid-2015 nation-wide local elections for the sake of implementing an administrative-territorial reform.

Speaking in a live program “Friday with Anatol Golea” on the RTR Moldova channel [the Moldovan subsidiary of Russia’s second-largest television and radio corporation], Lupu said: “The Democratic Party proceeds from the assumption that the ordinary local elections must be held in 2015 in strict accordance with the legislation. Discussions [concerning a postponement] are continuing, but we stand up for observing the law and the election timing. Moreover, a decision on appointing election date must be passed by a majority of Parliament members not later than 60 days before the voting date”.

He underscored that the approaching elections gave rise to various speculations. Some political parties are talking of an administrative-territorial reform, and even of a return to Romania-type judets [numbering 9, which the independent Republic of Moldova already introduced once, on January 1, 1999, but abolished them on January 29, 2002, returning to habitual 33 raions].

“All this is but whims. There shall be no return to judets. The Democratic Party’s position is not to make elections dependent on a desire to improve the functioning of local public administrations. Reforms must not be made for the sake of reforms. We will be proceeding from the need to observe the law, and all changes should be only for the good of the people”, stressed the DP leader.

Marian Lupu also stated that the Democrats shall not support the Liberal Party’s initiative to close down Russian television channels in Moldova or some of the channels’ political programs, and shall not support the Liberals’ demand to outlaw the St. George Ribbon in this republic.

“Prohibitive measures have no place in the modern world – categorically. This particularly pertains to television. We look rationally at things: prohibitions are absolutely ineffective, particularly nowadays, in an epoch of the Internet and information technologies. The Democrats stand up for the development of national electronic mass media so that to have more domestic channels”, said Marian Lupu.

Concerning the Liberals’ initiative to outlaw the St. George Ribbon, Marian Lupu made it clear that their demands will remain just a legislative initiative, no more, adding that “We have never even discussed this question in Parliament”.

In reply to Anatol Golea’s question about electing president, Lupu replied the country has practically no time enough for amending the Constitution so that to change the method of electing the head of state, bearing in mind that the next presidential election is due in March 2016.

“The chief objective is to elect a president so as to save the country from sliding into the abyss of an early parliamentary election. Of course, a candidacy must be worthy and must represent the entire people of Moldova. I am sure that there will be enough parliamentarians with a reasonable, rational approach to the question so that we could elect a worthy president”, said Marian Lupu.