CHIŞINĂU (Imedia) -
Monday, May 3
11 police officers have been suspended because they are investigated in the case of the death of Valeriu Boboc, the anti-Communist protester who was killed during the April 2009 repression. Interior Minister Victor Catan said that part of the police officers are under investigation for abusing their powers and hitting Mr. Boboc, while others are possible witnesses in the case.
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Press freedom in Moldova has improved after the Alliance for European Integration came to power, but there are still a number of problems, including regarding access to information. This conclusion is presented by a number of media representatives during manifestations held in Moldova to celebrate World Press Freedom Day.
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Party of Communists (PC) lawyer Sergiu Sirbu sues the Moldovan Parliament because he is not allowed to attend legislative meetings. Beginning on April 1, security staff have been preventing Mr. Sirbu from entering the legislative building as a result of interim President Mihai Ghimpu's request. Mr. Ghimpu has said that PC M.P.s need to attend the legislative meetings themselves instead of sending „messengers." The Communists are boycotting legislative meetings.
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The Labor Ministry is under a false bomb threat in the afternoon. An unknown person calls and announces that the building had a bomb in it. The alleged perpetrator asked for half a million dollars to defuse the bomb. After a check-up, police established that the alarm was false. Police officers are looking for the suspect.
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Democratic Party (DP) head Marian Lupu says during a meeting with voters in Floresti that „the DP will decide what the next governing coalition will look like. The DP is rising in popularity and has a superior potential compared to half a year ago," Mr. Lupu adds. He notes that the DP will form a new coalition based on other parties' values, principles, and goals.
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The most popular airline flight in April was Chisinau-Bucharest. The number of passengers on this route increases by 134 percent compared to the same period last year. The second most popular route is Chisinau-Milan (which increased traffic by 88 percent). Overall, 29,471 people traveled in April 2009, 11 percent more than the same period last year.
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A young Transnistrian man, Ilie Cazac (24), is arrested by the separatist authorities and accused of „betraying the homeland." His parents say during a press conference in Chisinau that Mr. Cazac worked at the Tighina (Bender) fiscal inspectorate and that he was detained on March 19 by Transnistrian special forces while he was coming back from work. Mr. Cazac's parents ask for Chisinau and Moscow to release their son and say they do not know where he is being held.
Tuesday, May 4
The Constitutional Court (CC) has approved the Alliance for European Integration's (AEI) project to change Article 78 in the Constitution, which regulates the election of the head of state. The project of the Alliance seeks to change the law to allow for the head of state to be elected directly by the people. In order for this project to pass, the AEI needs at least 68 out of 101 votes in Parliament. The Alliance only has 53 votes, however. The Party of Communists (PC), whose support is indispensable for the project's passing, has its own proposal, which was also approved by the CC. The PC seeks to keep the election of the head of state in Parliament. The PC needs Alliance support to get its project through.
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Communist M.P.s could lose their work telephones. Speaker and interim President Mihai Ghimpu accuses them of spending two or three times more money on telephone conversations than other M.P.s. Mr. Ghimpu proposes for their landline phones to be blocked from interurban communication and for their cell phones to be taken away. The problem could be put into discussion in a future session.
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The League of Russian Youth unfolds a 360-meter St. George ribbon in downtown Chisinau. The ribbon is a symbol of the Soviet Union's victory during World War II. The manifestation is part of a broader action called Our Victory, organized by young Russian ethnics.
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The General Prosecutor's (GP) office sends criminal cases filed against two young people in Balti to the courts. The two are members of the Pancrateon Sports Club in Balti and are accused of illegally purchasing and keeping munitions and explosives. Police discovered 100 grams of an explosive material at the house of one of the young people, and a charger for a Kalashnikov and 42 5.45-mm bullets. Media outlets have written about the fact that members of the Pancrateon club support the Party of Communists.
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Parliament votes for a first reading of a law criminalizing sexual harassment, rape within marriage, and family violence. Rape within marriage can now carry up to 20 years in prison.
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Chisinau will be represented by Moldovan Ambassador to Russia Andrei Neguta on May 9. „The parade in Moscow is not a priority for the Alliance. We had disagreements, but we have overcome them. I hope everyone has drawn conclusions and will know to behave differently from now on," Prime Minister Filat says.
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The criminal file on former Interior Minister Gheorghe Papuc, which accuses him of unjustifiably spending public money, has been sent to the courts. Mr. Papuc is accused that between 2004 and 2008, when he was a minister, he rented real estate in Chisinau, which he then allowed the Party of Communists to use. Mr. Papuc says that the accusations are an abuse and argues that some pieces of evidence have been fabricated.
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Two new bi-weekly newspapers appear in Moldova. Evenimentul zilei (in Romanian) and Novosti dnya (in Russian) will appear on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Wednesday, May 5
The Constitutional Court (CC) may no longer be able to cancel the political decisions released by Parliament, like it happened in the case of the overturn of the legislators' dismissal of Supreme Court of Justice head Ion Muruianu. The Government has approved a draft law in this regard, which will come into effect if it is approved by Parliament.
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The Venice Commission (VC) insists that Moldovan politicians, no matter what proposals they have to change the Constitution, need to keep into consideration the requirements of the current law, says Justice Minister Alexandru Tanase. Mr. Tanase just returned from Strasbourg, where he and other Alliance for European Integration officials met with VC head Gianni Buquicchio. „The VC is an authority within the Council of Europe, its recommendations are incontestable for any Council member, and Moldova is no exception," Mr. Tanase adds.
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24 out of 25 of the police officers investigated in an internal process within the Interior Ministry for abusing their responsibilities in April 2009 have been reinstated. The only person who has not been reinstated is Ion Perju, who is suspected of killing Valeriu Boboc during last year's protests. Prime Minister Vlad Filat is surprised by this decision and asks Interior Minister Victor Catan for explanations. Mr. Catan replies that despite the fact that „the police officers were reinstated, that does not mean they will not be investigated within the criminal cases the Prosecutor's Office started."
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Chisinau mayor Dorin Chirtoaca is surprised by the Interior Ministry's decision, as well. Mr. Chirtoaca mentions the name of Ruslan Saachian, whom he accused of violent acts committed on Mr. Boboc. „Saachian withheld information. How can he be a witness in this file, what do you mean there is no evidence when we have video footage from the Great National Assembly Square during those days? What is this, the country of fools? We have clear images about what happened there, and they're now listed as witnesses," Mr. Chirtoaca noted.
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Electoral blocs could be allowed again, according to a Government-proposed project to change the electoral code. The project also includes the proposal to open a larger number of voting stations abroad and not only at Moldovan embassies.
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A police officer from Balti is detained by a number of officers from the Center to Fight Economic Crime and Corruption, under the accusation of blackmailing a citizen to provide 500 Euros. The police officer is suspected of placing drugs in a citizen's car and then threatening to file a criminal case against him if he does not pay.
Thursday, May 6
Interim President Mihai Ghimpu says that Alliance for European Integration (AEI) and Party of Communists (PC) M.P.s need to find a consensus regarding changing Article 78 in the Constitution, which regulates the election of the head of state. Mr. Ghimpu makes this statement after a meeting in Strasbourg on May 5 with Venice Commission (VC) head Gianni Buquicchio.
„If Parliament fails to make a decision about the two projects to change the Constitution, we will have to go back to talk with VC experts," Mr. Ghimpu explains. The Constitutional Court recently approved of two projects to change Article 78. The Communist one asks for the legislature's election of the head of state with a simple majority, while the AEI's proposal includes the direct election of the President.
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The European Union Border Assistance Mission between Moldova and Ukraine will create two model-border crossing points by the end of the year. One will be at Tudora-Starokazacie and another at Otaci-Moghiliov Podoliskii. This projects will also perform a daily analysts of customs officials to eliminate corruption in the customs system.
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Moldovans working abroad have sent 233.4 million U.S. dollars to the country in the first trimester, 7.7 million (or 3.4 percent) more compared to the same period last year. The National Bank says that the volume of transfers in March was about one third larger than the one in January - 97.6 million U.S. dollars.
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Prime Minister Vlad Filat celebrates his birthday on May 6. He is congratulated by his cabinet members, coalition colleagues, and other friends. Mr. Filat was born on May 6, 1969 in the village of Lapusna, Hincesti. Some of his presents include a collector's edition weapon, which Mr. Filat has promised to donate to the Military Museum.
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Justice Minister Alexandru Tanase asks the Constitutional Court (CC) to revise its decision on May 26, 2009, which said that the law banning officials from having two citizenships was constitutional. Mr. Tanase argues that the CC needs to do this after the European Court of Human Rights issued an April 27 decision according to which the law violated the right to free choice.
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Democratic Party (DP) head Marian Lupu is in Moscow for a day to attend a book launching by former Communist M.P.s Nicolae Gutul, entitled They Have Fought for the Homeland. The DP supported this book's appearance, which is dedicated to the 65th-year anniversary since the Soviet Union won in the Second World War.
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Foreign Affairs Minister Iurie Leanca says that his ministry has proposed 14 candidates for Moldovan embassies that are vacant abroad. Mr. Leanca says that their names will not be made public until they receive approval. Mr. Leanca notes, however, that the U.S. Ambassador to Moldova has not yet been appointed.
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Moldova is the second-largest wine exporter to Russia in the first trimester of 2010, moving up one spot compared to the last trimester last year. France is first. Moldova's market share goes up from 12.5 percent to 17.2 percent.
Friday, May 7
Parliament votes for a first reading of a number of changes to the Electoral Code, including reducing the electoral threshold from five to four percent, allowing the creation of electoral blocs, and opening voting sections abroad outside of embassies. The Alliance for European Integration M.P.s and unaffiliated M.P.s vote for the changes.
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For the first time ever, Soviet Army and Romanian Army veterans attend a meeting dedicated to the 65-year anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in World War Two together. The gathering is hosted by Chisinau city hall, during which Chisinau mayor Dorin Chirtoaca congratulates the veterans in Romanian and Russian and says that this year he invited them to come together in order to bring the spirit of conciliation between them.
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The Accounts Court holds an audit and identifies a number of problems in the financial activity of Teleradio Moldova between 2006 and 2009, the company that manages the country's public radio and television stations. According to the audit, former company president Valentin Todercan had a 16,000-leu salary and an 8,000-leu "financial assistance" package in October 2009 alone. Mr. Todercan says that he received this financial assistance only once instead of every month. He also argues that the audit was a political order.
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The National Agency for Energy Regulation delays the analysis of raising fees for natural gas and heating for next week. The meeting, which was supposed to take place on May 7, has been postponed because Moldovagaz did not have all the necessary documents.
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Communist leader and former President (2001-2009) Vladimir Voronin is elected head of the country's delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. His candidacy is approved by the majority of the AEI M.P.s.
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A report by a legislative commission that analyzed events in April 2009 is published today. One of its conclusions is that former President Vladimir Voronin overstepped his authority by issuing direct orders to a number of police officers. The Communists contest the conclusions of the report and accuse AEI parties of organizing the April 2009 events.
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The Moldovan Parliament votes for a first reading of a project giving unaffiliated M.P.s the right to create their own legislative faction. According to the current rules of the legislature, legislative factions can be created within ten days of the new Parliament's first session.
Saturday, May 8
The Moldovan Metropolitan decides to organize a referendum to teach religion in school. The head of the initiative group to call the referendum is former secret service head Valeriu Pasat.
Sunday, May 9
Interim President Mihai Ghimpu issues an appeal to veterans of the Romanian and the Soviet Army. Mr. Ghimpu says that politicians start wars to install dictatorships, and that simple soldiers follow orders and behave heroically on the battlefield.
