LIBERALS PARTICIPATING IN MUNICIPAL REFERENDUM TO DEFEND MAYOR CHIRTOACA'S HONOR - GHIMPU

The Liberal Party has to take part in the November 19 municipal referendum on a vote of (no)confidence in Chisinau Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca for the sake of defending the honor and dignity of the LP First Deputy Chairperson, party leader Mihai Ghimpu stated at a news conference on Monday.

The party chairman said that against the background of the team-like efforts being made [against Chirtoaca] by the Central Election Commission, the Chisinau district election board, the first-instance court and the Chisinau Appeals Court, the party decided to apply for the right to take part in canvassing in the run-up to referendum. By now, the Central Election Commission has registered the Liberal Party as a campaign participant.

"Unfortunately, the CEC has taken its decision [to deny registration to Dorin Chirtoaca as an individual canvasser] proceeding from the history of referenda on amending the Constitution and ruled that these are political parties who may participate in the campaigning and not an individual, not even the person against whom the referendum is being staged", said Mihai Ghimpu, who is the Mayor's uncle.

"Dorin Chirtoaca is being accused of failure to fulfill his duties [actually - of corruption and abuse of office], and he would not be permitted to participate in the pre-referendum campaigning. In a normal court, defendants are given the possibility to defend themselves and to speak out their positions. In our country, the Constitution and laws do not work. Instead of them, there is only the notorious 'telephone power' and 'telephone law' - like in a usual totalitarian state", stated Mihai Ghimpu.

It is his conviction that a covert motive of the anti-Chirtoaca referendum is "the need to fulfill the promise President Igor Dodon has given to the Kremlin - to prepare the Moldovan capital city to the 2018 parliamentary election and to ensure the victory of pro-Russia forces at the election.

So far, the Central Election Commission has registered only the Party of Socialists and the Liberal Party as referendum canvassers. The Communist Party stated its support for the referendum holding, but has not got registered. All the rest organizations have stated they will stay away from whatever canvassing. The deadline for submitting applications for registration as canvassers expired on October 21.