Moldovan government offers to discuss protesters’ demands

By bne IntelliNews September 15, 2015

bne IntelliNews -

 
The Moldovan parliament may discuss the demands of anti-government demonstrators, Prime Minister Vladimir Strelet said, opening the way to a possible compromise to end the protest campaign that has occupied Chisinau's main square for more than a week.
 
Strelet said that the activities of the central bank and central bank governor Dorin Dragutanu over the past year would in particularly be reviewed. “There are grounds for the parliament to hear [governor Dragutanu] on the performance of the central bank during the past year, and to take a decision in this regard,” Strelet said.  Protesters accuse the central bank for poor oversight of the banking sector, which has hit by a $1bn fraud earlier this year.
 
The prime minister’s statement might indicate that the ruling coalition is considering sacrificing one or two top officials in exchange for the termination of the street protests in Chisinau that have entered their second week. 
 
The authorities want a quick start to negotiations, so as to be able to close a Stand-by Arrangement with the International Monetary Fund, which is much needed for the unblocking of the country’s external financing.
 
An IMF team is expected in Chisinau next week and the political turmoil puts at risk the visit. The government claims that it could survive this year without external financing, but this would mean abandoning all public investments and operating under emergency rules.
 
Parliamentary speaker Andrian Candu explained in an interview with Prime TV that dismissing the central bank’s governor should be preceded by and based on an independent evaluation from an independent body such as the IMF. Furthermore, it is not the right time to dismiss the central bank’s governor or the head prosecutor, Candu argued. The IMF will definitely defer discussions with Moldova if the government or central bank’s governor resigns, he reasoned.  
 
The civic platform Dignity and Truth expressed on September 13 radical requests starting with the resignation of President Nicolae Timofti, of the government, of governor Dragutanu and head prosecutor Corneliu Gurin. However, Strelet has so far only mentioned central bank governor Dragutanu and head prosecutor Corneliu Gurin.
 
Strelet has also attempted to persuade protestors to stand down, saying that many of the requests formulated by them, such as the elimination of political control on state institutions, are also on the government’s agenda.
 
Speaking of his plans, Strelet stressed that he does not intend to resign as long as his cabinet still has the parliament’s support.
Read in IntelliNews Pro
Get IntelliNews Pro

Related Articles

Macedonia kept on hold as Balkans edges towards EU goal

Clare Nuttall in Bucharest -   Macedonia’s EU accession progress remains stalled amid the country’s worst political crisis in 14 years, while most countries in the Southeast Europe region have ... more

Mystery Latvian linked to Scottish shell companies denies role in $1bn Moldova bank fraud

Graham Stack in Berlin - A Latvian financier linked to the mass production of Scottish shell companies has denied to bne IntelliNews any involvement in the $1bn Moldovan bank fraud that has caused ... more

Austria's Erste rides CEE recovery to swing to profit in Jan-Sep

bne IntelliNews - Erste Group Bank saw the continuing economic recovery across Central and Eastern Europe push its January-September financial results back into net profit of €764.2mn, the ... more

Follow Us On

Most Read

  1. Iran vs Israel: Who is better equipped for war?
    5 days ago
  2. Saudi Arabia to scale back plans for Neom city
    9 days ago
  3. BREAKING: Iraq, Syria and Jordan close airspace amid Iranian strike on Israel
    5 days ago
  4. PANNIER: Caspian military drills that exclude Russia and Iran have some people in Moscow asking questions
    6 days ago
  5. Oil continues to flow to Israel via Turkey despite Erdogan’s vehement speeches on plight of Gaza
    5 months ago
  1. Russia could pay off its entire external debt tomorrow, in cash
    19 days ago
  2. Speculation swirls of “Men in Blue” in Crocus City Hall terrorist attack linked to FSB
    24 days ago
  3. Albanians campaign on social media to keep bus bridge created in freak accident
    1 year ago
  4. UBN: Russia could take the Baltic states in 48 hours
    29 days ago
  5. BRICS announce a blockchain-based payment system to create a common currency
    22 days ago

Reports

Dismiss