First session of new Parliament on October 22: government vows reforms, opposition promises vigilance
The first meeting of the new Parliament is scheduled for October 22. Adrian Lebedinschi, a representative of the Patriotic Electoral Bloc of Socialists, Communists, Heart, and Future of Moldova (BEP), confirmed this date during the show "In Context" on Moldova 1 TV. He emphasized that his party is prepared to take an active role in the opposition while assuring that they have no intentions of causing any destabilization.
Radu Marian, deputy of the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS), a party that won a new parliamentary majority, reiterated that the government's main priorities are aimed at European integration and economic growth.
"I was informed that, on October 22 (-ed.), the first session of Parliament will take place. At that time, the colleagues who will go to Parliament will remain in opposition. We want to become a genuine opposition, to attract attention like those watchdogs, not to allow the government or the parliamentary majority to blunder. We are not radicals and we are not calling for the overthrow of the government, but, at the same time, we will not give them peace to sit still", declared Adrian Lebedinschi, on Moldova 1 TV.
Radu Marian, in turn, highlighted the trust PAS obtained from the electorate for a new mandate to lead the Republic of Moldova.
"As the majority party, we aim to complete the process of accession to the European Union in the next four years - what the citizens also wanted and expressed through this vote - to put greater emphasis on economic growth and investments, to continue the important reforms that we started or that we failed to start in the first mandate and to increase the efficiency of the way in which public institutions function", explained the PAS representative.
Evaluating the profile proposed for the position of prime minister, Marian highlighted Alexandru Munteanu's international expertise, one aligned with the objectives of the ruling party.
"We also discussed in the team his profile as an investor, businessman, economist with extensive national and international experience in companies, investment funds, at the World Bank, the National Bank of Moldova. We believe that he is suitable for us to focus on all aspects of economic growth and investments. And we talked with him, we discussed priorities and that is why PAS is proposing him to the President for nomination (for the position of Prime Minister - ed.). We believe that he is a very good profile for the objectives that we have proposed", pointed out Radu Marian.
Adrian Lebedinschi emphasized the importance of integrity for the candidate nominated for the position of Prime Minister and suggested a verification process to assess this. He expressed his hope that the information circulating in the press about the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova is not true. He stated, "It would be beneficial for all the information to be verified and for him to respond. The leadership of the Republic of Moldova should consist of individuals with a clean background."
We want to point out that RISE Moldova revealed on October 15 that Munteanu's name appears in the documents of five companies in the tax haven of the British Virgin Islands. According to the investigation, these companies were allegedly managed by Cypriot lawyer Christodoulos Vassiliades, until he was sanctioned internationally. Vassiliades, now 68, is also said to have financially assisted Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, a close associate of the Kremlin, helping him protect his wealth from Western sanctions.
On his recently created Facebook page, Alexandru Munteanu publicly denied the information presented by journalists. The businessman stressed that he is willing to answer for every investment made, company established and decision made.
We recall that, in the session of October 16, the Constitutional Court confirmed the results of the elections of September 28 and validated the mandates of the 101 deputies elected to the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova. The decision will be published in the Official Gazette no later than two days after its pronouncement, and the President of the Republic of Moldova will convene the new Parliament for its constitutive session no later than 30 days after the elections.
After the constitution, the deputies will have no more than ten days to elect the Parliament Speaker, the Vice-Presidents and the Standing Bureau, as well as to form the parliamentary factions for the next mandate.
After consultations with the newly formed factions, the President will designate a candidate for the position of Prime Minister.
The designated candidate will present the proposed list of ministers and the government program to the Parliament within 15 days. The Government will then be put to a vote in plenary and will be sworn in, if it obtains the vote of the majority of deputies.
After the investiture vote, President Maia Sandu will have a maximum of 14 days to sign the appointment decree, and the ministers will take the oath, at which point the new Executive will officially take office.
