A group of Moldovan Communist Party (MCP) members from a number of raions [districts] and villages have announced their decision to leave the MCP and join the Democratic Party.

 

Eight activists from this group organized a news conference in Infotag on Wednesday and said that they are making this step due to the MCP leader Vladimir Voronin’s refusal to follow the European course of Moldova’s development.

 

“We represent a group of the members of village and raion councils and mayors of various populated areas as well as rank and file MCP members who are sick and tired of what is happening in the Communist Party. We don’t wish to remain in the opposition any longer, so we have decided to join the Democratic Party”, stated Pavel Draguta, the Mayor of the Raspopeni village in the Soldanesti Raion.

 

In his words, the Soldanesti raion organization of the Communist Party, consisting of about one thousand party members, is now being quitted by approximately 250 people.

 

Andrei Paslari, the Mayor of the Visevca village (Cantemir raion), stated that he had decided to go over to the Democratic Party because it is “a more constructive formation, with a team of genuine professionals and intellectuals”.

 

“I have watched the DP throughout several election campaigns, and I like their approach to work. I respect the team of Democrats. I guess we will work together well”, said the mayor.

 

The former Communists emphasized that Moldovan villagers don’t care about Chisinau intrigues and backstage gossips – they want to see their homes, not somebody else’s, clean and tidy and well-equipped.

 

“Staying in the opposition, the Communist Party cannot provide us with projects or European grants, which is precisely what our voters are interested in”, stated Stefan Grosu, a member of the Straseni Raion Council [raion legislature].

 

In his words, “there is more democracy in the Democratic Party” and “the DP has promised support in realization of projects”.

 

At the news conference, journalists asked the departing Communists to show their MCP membership cards for everybody to see that they are really members of the party but, strangely, not a single one of them could demonstrate the document.

 

After the news conference, your Infotag correspondent contacted a source in the MCP leadership to comment the exodus of the said group from the organization, and the source said that “this fact does not mean anything yet” and that some of the people, who are announcing so loudly their volunteer secession from the MCP, were expelled from the party long ago.