​AEI-3 AGREEMENT TO BE SIGNED ON THURSDAY – ALLIANCE LEADERS

The Agreement on forming the new governing Alliance for European Integration will be signed on Thursday at about 2 pm, the leaders of the three alliance parties promised upon completion of their Wednesday round of talks that lasted until late yesternight.

“We focused mainly on three questions today: we agreed final details in the would-be Agreement on forming a governing coalition; we distributed ministries between the three parties; and we began discussing candidacies for governmental posts, including prime minister”, Democratic Party leader Marian Lupu said to journalists.

He said that the Wednesday negotiations were “very constructive” and that the discussion of remaining questions will be completed in the first half of Thursday.

“On Thursday, we will sign the Agreement, after which will announce the names of candidates for the new government. Immediately after that we will begin consultations with President Timofti so that he could sign a presidential decree on nominating a candidate for prime minister. So, next week we will be able to approve the new Government’s lineup and work program”, said Lupu.

Liberal Party Chairman Mihai Ghimpu is also sure “by 99.9% that the Agreement will be signed on Thursday”.

“We have discussed practically all questions. Everything will be OK. We have already begun discussing candidacies for ministerial posts, but not yet completed this job. We have agreed not to mention any names, and will do it after signing the coalition formation agreement”, said Mihai Ghimpu.

Liberal Democratic Party Chairman Vlad Filat stated that on Thursday afternoon the nation will learn the name of a prime ministerial candidate.

“I want to say that the LDPM leadership was insisting on my becoming the head of the government. But after lengthy discussions, we decided to nominate another person – to prevent whatever possible speculations. This will be a good, honest and worthy candidate, whose name you will learn on Thursday”, promised Filat.

On Wednesday, the three party leaders agreed finally upon distribution of positions in the would-be government. According to Filat, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Democratic Party (DP) will receive 6 ministries each in the new government, and the Liberal Party – four, proceeding from the number of mandates in the 101-member Parliament of Moldova. Thus, the Liberal Democrats now have 20 mandates (after three deputies have quitted the LDP faction, including one – Nicolae Juravschi – last Tuesday), the Democrats have 19, and the Liberals – 13.

It was officially decided that the LDP will nominate its candidate for prime minister, the DP – for speaker of parliament, and president will be elected later on by a consensus upon an agreement on the order of electing the heads of state, as the Liberals were long proposing. Besides this, the Liberals will receive the posts of a deputy prime minister and a deputy speaker of parliament.

If the AEI-3 agreement is really signed on Thursday and a presidential decree on nominating a candidate for prime minister – on Friday, then the Parliament will be able to approve a government lineup and work program by the end of July next week. Otherwise, the Parliament will have to assemble for an extraordinary session because according to the law the forum’s Spring-Summer Sessions end in July.