​CHIRIL LUCINSCHI RESIGNS FROM PARLIAMENT

MP Chiril Lucinschi of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPM) has resigned from the Moldovan Parliament and announced his leaving the LDPM.

He told the press on Wednesday that now he will focus on the development of up-to-date mass media “meeting the international standards of openness and professionalism”, including the TV7 channel having an all-republican coverage.

Lucinschi said that the channel will be subjected to an in-depth reform, and that on February 9 a group of journalists from Moldova attended in Brussels the meeting of the European Endowment for Democracy (EED) where they presented their project of the channel development.

“The EED is a joint product of the European Union member countries and of the EU civil society. It was decided to create in Moldova an independent television channel on the basis of TV7. It will be directed by the Association of Journalists being created in Moldova now”, explained Petru Lucinschi.

The politician said he had consulted his children Petru and Alexandra, who are the owners of channel shares, and it was decided to pass 75% TV7 shares into the management by the said Association.

“We are remaining minority shareholders. I don't want to inflict whatever damage to the image of the channel which must become an independent information source. That’s why I have decided to resign both from the Parliament and the Liberal Democratic Party”, stated the son of Moldova's second President Petru Lucinschi.

In his words, Chiril Lucinschi said he will now concentrate on the development of the channel, which is going to become a free and professional source of information “based exclusively on professionalism and truth”.

Lucinschi promised to produce more details of his decision later on.

Chiril Lucinschi had been a Member of the Moldovan Parliament since 2010. In 2012, he joined the Liberal Democratic Party. In 2014, he was elected Chairman of the parliamentary Standing Committee for Culture, Sciences, Education, Youth, Sports and the Mass Media.

Infotag’s dossier: The European Endowment for Democracy (EED) helps democratic organizations of the civil society, movements and individual activists working for the good of pluralistic multi-party systems. The EED also renders support to young leaders, independent media and journalists provided all the beneficiaries abide by key democratic values and observe human rights and support the principles of non-using violence.