European Forum

High Court approves election results in Moldova, new Parliament to convene next week

Last week Moldova’s Constitutional Court validated the results of the early Parliamentary poll held on 29 July, which were contested by the Christian-Democratic People's Party that requested a vote recount. President Vladimir Voronin must now sign a decree before 29 August to fix the date of the first session of the new Parliament. Today, Deputy of the Communist Party Vladimir Turcan, announced that the Parliament’s first session will be held next week.


Democratic candidature at stake
The first sitting of Parliament, expected to be on August 28, will kick-off the procedure for forming a new government and electing a President to replace Voronin, who cannot stand for a third consecutive term. Turcan refused to say whether the Party of Communist of Moldova (PCRM) will vote for the presidential candidate proposed by the “Alliance for European Integration”, formed last week by the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (LDPM), the Liberal Party of Moldova, the Democratic Party of Moldova (DPM) and the Moldova Noastra Alliance. Earlier, the Communists did not exclude the possibility of supporting the Presidential candidate offered by the new coalition, but on the condition, in particular, that this person will not be a political figure. In their turn, leaders of the coalition do not intend to hold negotiations with the Communist party, but there will be discussions so as to provide the promised stability in Moldova and to overcome the political and economic crisis. Noastra Alliance leader, Serafim Urechean Noastra, earlier expressed his confidence that it will be possible to find a compromise with the Communists for supporting the presidential candidature. "Otherwise, new elections will take place, where the Communists will be severely defeated", Urechean added.

Talks between parties of the democratic coalition will be completed a day before the first sitting of the new Parliament, announced LDPM Leader Vladimir Filat last Friday at a news conference. Filat did not, however, give any concrete information about the distribution of key posts. "I can only say that an expert group finished working out the program of the new Government and, as soon as we have political decisions, we shall unveil them", he stated. Earlier, however, Moldovan news sources gave an initial, yet unconfirmed, list-out of the distribution of post given by the coalition: DPM chairman Marian Lupu will occupy the President's post, LDPM chairman Vlad Filat the Parliament Chairman's post, Noastra Alliance leader Serafim Urechean the Prime Minister's post and leader of the Liberal Party of Moldova the post of Parliamentary Deputy Chairman.

The early parliamentary poll gave pro-Western parties the upper hand over the incumbent Communist Party. President Voronin called the snap poll after his Communists, victorious in an election in April, failed by one vote to endorse their candidate for President. Winning 53 seats in Parliament, which is enough to form a government, the coalition has nevertheless too few seats to vote through their choice of President. It now needs the support of at least eight Communists to secure its candidate for the post.

Sources: Infotag; Moldova Azi; Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (Image)