DEMOCRATS DEMAND REMOVAL OF SANDU GOVERNMENT

The parliamentary Democratic Party has put forward an initiative to vote no confidence in the Premier Sandu Government. A draft Resolution to this effect was presented today by DP faction member Andrian Candu, ex-Speaker of Parliament.

In his words, all of the political parties represented in the Parliament solemnly promised during the last February election campaign that they would be defending citizens’ interests. “However, over the 4 months of the Sandu Government’s activities, nobody could notice whatever governmental care about citizens”.

“Over all these months, the incumbent Government submitted to parliament only 14 bills. Not very much, really. And none of the bills was related to economy or social sphere”, stated the Democrat.

Candu expressed pity that “all the DP’s best legislative initiatives, including the one on repaying material assistance before holidays, were suspended or rejected by the ruling majority. Instead of this, the Government and Parliament focused only on struggle against the opposition”.

In his words, the previous Government of Premier Pavel Filip [Democrat] put forward a multitude of initiatives in support of economic operators and for attracting foreign investments, “whereas the Sandu Government has failed to manage even with the already launched projects, e.g. having ruined the Good Roads-2 Program”.

Soon after, already from the parliamentary tribune, Candu stated that “the country expected much more from this Government, with an account of the education received by some ministers in Western universities, and bearing in mind Sandu’s close ties with external partners. But the Sandu Cabinet has not achieved anything”.

Andrian Candu said the initiative to vote no confidence in the Sandu Government was signed “by a majority of DP parliamentarians present in the session room”, but did not say how many. The DP faction numbers 29 deputies, but several of them do not attend the forum’s plenary meetings because they have fled from Moldova after a change of power last summer. Unlike their former party leader Vlad Plahotniuc, they have not resigned from parliament and are de-jure remaining deputies, though do not take part in its work.

According to the Constitution, a Resolution on a vote of no confidence in the Government has to be submitted by not less than one-quarter of elected deputies i.e. by a minimum of 25-of 101 MPs. The document is to be considered at one of nearest plenary meetings of the Parliament, as will be decided by its Permanent Bureau.

The factions of the Party of Socialists (PSRM) and of the ACUM bloc, which have formed the incumbent parliamentary majority and appointed the Sandu Government, have already stated they would not support the Democrats’ initiative. They believe that the Democratic Party has deliberately put forward this initiative precisely on Thursday when the Parliament has begun hearing the Report prepared by the parliamentary ad hoc commission for bank fraud investigation. The Report mentions many leaders of the Democratic Party. The parliamentary majority has no doubt that by this vote of no confidence, the Democrats are trying to distract attention from the Report being discussed at the plenary meeting today.

The DP faction stated that “the investigation is but a staged theatrical performance”, complained that opposition representatives were not admitted to the commission activities, refused to take part in the Report hearings, and walked out of the room in protest.