Moldovan ruling AIE accuses communists for failed election
The Moldovan authorities and opposition have differently assessed the outcome of the repeated presidential election held on 7 December.
The 53-strong ruling alliance was short of eight votes to elect its candidate for head of state as the opposition Communists boycotted the ballot.
Under legislation, if the second attempt to elect the president fails, the acting president has to dissolve parliament and call an early election. Nonetheless, the ruling alliance expressed determination to preserve unity and overcome the political crisis.
The leader of the senior coalition party Liberal Democratic Party and prime minister, Vlad Filat, said that the alliance "is full of determination to fulfil the promises it made to voters".
The honorary chairman of the Democratic Party, Dumitru Diacov, said that "ex-President Vladimir Voronin lost control over his Communist Party, which continues to be dominated by fear". "Nonetheless, the Communist faction and party will unavoidably split up. I know that some Communist MPs were ready to vote for Marian Lupu's candidacy. But something happened last night and they were afraid to take a decisive step," Diacov said.
He said that during talks "the Communist Party proposed that the Democratic Party should destroy the alliance and dismiss the prime minister and speaker". "In this case, they were ready to back Lupu's candidacy. And I am grateful to the leader of the Democratic Party, Marian Lupu, for the fact that he resisted this temptation. He opposed and we all will oppose and go forward," Diacov said. He said that the Communists' refusal to participate in the ballot "will lead to the death of this party".
Vlad Filat backed his position saying: "The fact that the Communist MPs were closed up in a separate room [during the voting procedure] proves that things are going wrong in their faction. The communist faction will split up and so will the party."
"The Communists are unhappy with the fact that we united and resisted. And we will resist, we are full of determination to take the country out of the state in which the Communists threw it," Filat said. For his part, the alliance's presidential candidate, Marian Lupu, said that the alliance proved its consolidation. "We took a decision and we do not regret. We assumed common responsibility and we will go forward with dignity," Lupu said.
Ex-President and Communist leader Vladimir Voronin this while leaving parliament that "the ruling Alliance for European Integration will collapse soon". "Today we proved our unity and consolidation. We cannot vote for any presidential candidate of the alliance which has been promoting an anti-popular policy. We could not vote for Lupu's candidacy as he lacks verticality and will-power," Voronin said.
He said that he would ask people not to participate in a referendum, if the leaders of the alliance seek to amend the constitution. "We will impede this. The constitution is not a servant that can be changed however one pleases," Voronin said. He said that "the Communist Party sticks to its position and will push for the collapse of the Alliance for European Integration".
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