DEMOCRATS ARE CONVENING "COUNCIL OF BALTI MAFIA" - OP

After ruining the law-stipulated quorum in the Balti Municipal Council [city legislature], the Democrats and their allies from the faction "For the Development of Balti" have decided to convoke a municipal council of their own, Balti Acting Mayor Nicolai Grigorishin, currently running for mayorship as Our Party's candidate for the May 20 elections, wrote in the social networks today.

He reminded that the Democrats and their supporters have upset Council sittings, at which the city legislature was supposed to consider questions of assistance to be provided to Second World War veterans to the Victory Day of May 9, and the question of raising salaries to certain categories of education workers.

"We have learnt today that they had simply abandoned the Municipal Council because last Tuesday we upset their raider plans and, in revenge, they are now creating a parallel council of their own. Needless to say that this is an absolutely unlawful undertaking, but who of them cares for the law? Tomorrow, their private television channels will show how they ardently care about the city and how they pass decisions of a vital importance for Balti. I have only two questions to ask: will candidate Alexander Usatii [of the Party of Socialists] come for this 'underworld convention', and how this gathering will be resolving the problem of garbage concessioners, whom this very Party brought to the city in 2013?" wondered Nicolai Grigorishin.

Earlier, intentions to run for Balti Mayor were stated by former Balti Deputy Mayor Alexander Usatii of the Party of Socialists, 27-year-old Balti citizen Sergiu Burlacu of the pro-Romanian National Unity Party (PUN), Arina Spataru of the DA Platform, Pavel Verejan of Ilan Shor Party. Also, Our Party Deputy Chairperson Elena Gritco is raising citizens' signatures to run for mayorship as an independent candidate - to be on the safe side in case the Democratic authorities decide to de-register Our Party's main candidate Nicolai Grigorishin.

The May 20 snap election winner will be governing the country's second-largest city only until the ordinary local elections of mid-2019. The next month's early election has been caused by the resignation tendered by Balti Mayor Renato Usatii, who thus wanted to save the Party (he still chairs) from the constant pressure put by the ruling regime and to spare OP activists from victimization.