​PRO-EUROPEAN PARTIES STATE READINESS TO WORK IN COALITIONS IN LOCALITIES

Moldovan pro-European parties have announced their preparedness to launch negotiations on creating working majorities on the local level “by forgetting personal enmity and previous offenses”.

On June 16 evening, the Liberal Democratic Party, Liberal Party and the leadership of the voting bloc “European People’s Platform of Moldova (EPPM) – Iurie Leanca” reached an agreement on creating efficient alliances in local governance organs. The Liberals and EPPM representatives stood up resolutely against forming whatever coalitions with Left forces – the Party of Socialists, Communist Party or Our Party, and spoke out in favor of Right-Centrist alliances, even though the EPPM team includes the members of the Liberal Reformist Party (LRP), whose representatives divorced the Liberal Party two years ago, having thus ensured a parliamentary majority to the LDPM and DP in 2013. Both Liberal organizations constantly criticize and accuse one another of treachery and complicity in corruption.

“We have presented our position: its essence is that we stand ready to create an alliance with the LDPM, DP and EPPM. We don't pay attention to such minor details as the LRP”, LP Deputy Chairman Valeriu Munteanu stated to Infotag.

The EPPM founder fathers are saying that despite the tremendous pressure being put on them by the authorities, the results achieved at the last Sunday’s elections is a good start in politics.

At the latest meeting of the LDPM National Political Council, the party leadership decided to reach accords with pro-European parties despite known differences with the EPPM leadership, whose Chairman Iurie Leanca was previously the First Deputy Chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party.

The LDPM Deputy Chairperson, Deputy Speaker of the Moldovan Parliament Liliana Palihovici said to Infotag, “We will negotiate alliance formation with political forces oriented to European integration. There is no place to party interests in such matters, for the country’s future is at stake”.

Democratic Party representatives were more restrained in their statements about possible partners, but stated readiness to negotiations.

“The DP has not presented its official position because there is no court decision yet on election results recognition. Certainly, our main partner is the Liberal Democratic Party. But there are raions and populated areas, where we have no majority, so we will have to enter into negotiations with other parties. We guess it is premature to restrict ourselves to only one category of parties. If somebody wants to ensure votes for creating a majority – we are open to negotiations”, DP Faction Secretary Sergiu Sirbu said to Infotag.

On June 14, the Liberal Democratic Party won 22.24% in village and town councils [local legislatures], the Democratic Party – 21.88%, the Party of Socialists – 12.25%, the Communist Party – 11%, Our Party – 8.22%, the Liberal Party – 8.13%, independent candidates – 7.78%, EPPM – 5.89%. All the rest candidates polled not more than 1% each.

In Raion Councils, the Liberal Democratic Party won 18.27%, the Democratic Party – 17.58%, the Party of Socialists – 16.6%, the Liberal Party – 12.63%, Our Party – 11.12%, the Communist Party – 10.22%, the EPPM – 7.6%, and independent candidates 3.19%.

With all this, the pro-European parties have lost elections to the Municipal Councils of Chisinau, Balti and Comrat.

According to preliminary data, the pro-European parties can form majorities in 24 of Moldova’s 32 raions.