Batrincea: The Authorities Have Outdone Plahotniuc in Using Dirty Methods

“Today we came out in defence of local public administration. We will not allow our local administrations to be destroyed,” Vlad Batrincea said. “We will fight by all possible legal means to protect every district, every mayor and every councilor”. The deputy speaker of the Moldovan Parliament, PSRM MP Vlad Batrincea stated this at a joint press conference with the heads of Moldova's districts, actualitati.md reports. “What the authorities are doing today is centralisation. We are close to a totalitarian state regime, and removing local governments is one step on this path. The authorities have a lot of ideas in this regard, they have probably decided to take the example of “democratic” states such as North Korea. The government has decided to allocate a record sum to the State Chancellery, for those who represent the authorities on the ground, to take over the responsibilities of local public administration. Apart from the scandal caused by Health Minister Ala Nemerenco’s bill, they want to deprive the districts of social assistance, agriculture and other important sectors in which local public administration is directly involved. These actions are contrary to all European democratic norms. The desire to “dominate” will lead to dramatic consequences. The reform lacks transparency,” the politician said. The MP stressed that “the reform was not discussed with local authorities, so they will learn about all the decisions only after the fact”. “We have repeatedly appealed to the Council of Europe and other international organisations to draw their attention to the dramatic situation currently unfolding against the local administration. All these thuggish methods practised by the ruling regime against political opponents are now also used against local people’s deputies. Pressure via the State Chancellery, the BNM, the SIS. All these agencies, instead of doing business, are now engaged in unhealthy pressure on representatives of local authorities. On a daily basis, they blackmail and harass district chairmen, vice-chairmen and mayors. All the actions of the present authorities are now being documented and will lead to criminal prosecution. No one has the right to use structures like BNM, SIS and others to their advantage. The authorities have lost touch with reality and are using dirty methods that were not used even when Moldova was declared an invaded state,” Batrincea added.