As expected, the no-confidence motion filed by the leftist pro-Russian
\nopposition in Moldova resulted in the demise of the country’s pro-European
\ngovernment led by Valeriu Strelet and made up of three parties:
\nLiberal-Democratic Party, the Democratic Party and the Liberal Party. 65 of
\nParliament’s 101 MPs voted in favour of the motion. The Socialists and the
\nCommunists in opposition who initiated the motion held only 44 seats, but the
\nDemocrats also voted in favour, despite being part of the ruling coalition. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Accused of incompetence and corruption, the Prime Minister said the
\nmotion was an attempt by the left-wing opposition to destabilise the country
\nand sidetrack it from its path to European accession. His arguments, however,
\nfailed even to convince his coalition partners, resulting in the collapse of
\nthe government, Moldova’s third in less than a year. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The previous two cabinets led by Iurie Leanca and Chiril Gaburici, both
\nof which were marked by internal tensions, marred by corruption accusations and
\nvehemently criticised by the opposition, the media and civil society, left
\nValeriu Strelet, who came to office on the 30th of July, with a
\ncountry on the verge of chaos. After becoming the darling of the Eastern
\nPartnership last year and signing Association and Free Trade Agreements with
\nthe European Union, Moldova now no longer receives financial assistance from
\nBrussels and no longer has any agreements with the International Monetary Fund.
\nThe final straw as far as its foreign partners were concerned was the
\nmysterious disappearance last year of 1 billion dollars from the country’s
\nbanking system. The former Liberal Prime Minister Vlad Filat was arrested over
\nallegations of direct involvement in this as yet unsolved case, and the entire
\npolitical class in Moldova seems to be irredeemably compromised. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
In Romania, which has recently given Moldova a 150-million-euro loan,
\nthe prolonged political crisis in Moldova is viewed with consternation and
\ndisappointment. Soon after the government collapse in Moldova, president Klaus
\nIohannis said Moldova must stay on course for Europe and that Romania would do
\nits best to help it attain this objective. The Romanian Foreign Ministry also
\nsaid that it was essential for Moldova to maintain its political stability
\nagainst a complex security context in Eastern Europe. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Under the Moldovan Constitution, the Strelet Cabinet now has only
\nadministrative powers. Unless a new Government is sworn in within three months,
\npresident Nicolae Timofti may dissolve Parliament and call for early
\nparliamentary elections. The parties in the now divided ruling coalition have
\nalready expressed their willingness to talk about the formation of a new
\ngovernment. However, political commentators in Moldova give them little chances
\nto succeed, given that the internal cohesion of the coalition and the trust
\namong its members have been completely damaged this week. <\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A look at the political situation in the Republic of Moldova following the collapse of the country’s government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105,"featured_media":65907,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37738],"tags":[29007],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-65906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-today-in-the-news","tag-republic-of-moldova"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n