Alliance for European Integration

Alliance for European Integration
Formation	August 8, 2009 (2009-08-08)
Type	Ruling Coalition
Purpose/focus	Governing in Moldova
Headquarters	Chişinău
Membership	Liberal Democratic Party Liberal Party Democratic Party Our Moldova Alliance
Official languages	Romanian
Key people	Vlad Filat Mihai Ghimpu Marian Lupu Serafim Urechean
Website	PLDM,PL,PDM,AMN

The Alliance for European Integration (Romanian: Alianţa pentru Integrare Europeană) is the ruling coalition in Moldova since the July 2009 election.

Overall context

Main articles: Moldovan parliamentary election, July 2009 and 2009 Moldova civil unrest

After April 2009 election and the civil unrest, the climate in Moldova became very polarised.^[1] The parliament failed to elect a new president. For this reason, the parliament was dissolved and snap elections were held. The July 29 polls were won by the Communist Party with 44.7% of the vote. That gave the former ruling party 48 MPs, and the remaining 53 seats in the 101-member chamber went to four opposition parties. 51 votes are needed to elect the speaker and prime minister, and 61 votes to elect the president.

Membership

• 

  Vlad Filat (PLDM), Prime Minister

• 

  Ghimpu (PL)

After the July 2009 elections, the alliance was formed by the following parties: Liberal Democratic Party (18 seats), Liberal Party (15 seats), Democratic Party (13 seats), and Our Moldova Alliance (7 seats). On August 8, 2009, the four Moldovan parties agreed to create a governing coalition that pushed the Communist party into opposition; the Communists had been in government since 2001. The name of the coalition is the "Alliance for European Integration".

Political forces	Seats	Moldovan Parliament seats after July 2009 polls v · d · e
Alliance for European Integration	53
Party of Communists	48
PCRM (48) ·       PLDM (18) ·       PL (15) ·       PDM (13) ·       AMN (7)

After the 2010 elections, the alliance increased its majority from 53 seats to 59 seats. Although the Our Moldova Alliance did not return to parliament, the leaders of the three remaining parties of the alliance pledged signed a new coalition agreement on 30 December 2010. The new cabinet was installed on 14 January 2011, when a investiture vote took place in parliament.^[2]

Political forces	Seats	Moldovan Parliament seats after 2010 polls v · d · e
Alliance for European Integration	59
Party of Communists	42
PCRM (42) ·       PLDM (32) ·       PDM (15) ·       PL (12)

Goals

Moldova

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Moldova

Constitution Constitution Human rights Parliament Parliament Speaker Marian Lupu Judiciary Constitutional Court Supreme Court Executive Acting President Marian Lupu Prime Minister Vlad Filat Cabinet Filat 2 Divisions Administrative division Elections Elections Political parties Foreign policy Foreign relations Moldova and the EU Moldova and NATO

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The leaders of the four parties – Vlad Filat, Mihai Ghimpu, Marian Lupu, and Serafim Urechean – signed the 22-point declaration of the Alliance in a news conference on Saturday, August 8, 2009.

The Liberal Democratic Party, Liberal Party, Democratic Party, and Our Moldova Alliance have committed themselves to achieving such goals as overcoming the social and economic crisis and ensuring economic growth, reintegrating territories, European integration and promoting a balanced, consistent and responsible foreign policy. The coalition said it wants an association agreement with the European Union. Also, the coalition said it wants strategic relations with both Russia and the United States.

In a press conference on October 21, 2009, Iurie Leancă announced that official negotiations on the association agreement Moldova-EU will start on January 12, 2010.

Commission for constitutional reform in Moldova is a commission instituted on December 1, 2009 by acting President Ghimpu to adopt a new version of the Constitution of Moldova (1994).

On January 14, 2010 President Mihai Ghimpu instituted the Commission for the Study of the Communist Dictatorship in Moldova for studying and formulating a historic assessment of the totalitarian communist regime.

Moldovan Parliament

Main articles: President of the Moldovan Parliament, Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, and Moldovan Parliament 2009-2010

The first session of Moldova's parliament has been scheduled for August 28, one day short of the deadline for the body to convene.

On August 28, 2009, Mihai Ghimpu was elected as the Speaker of the Moldovan Parliament, through secret voting, getting all 53 votes of the Alliance For European Integration.^[3][4]

Mihai Ghimpu on August 28, 2009: "I thank my colleagues for their trust. I hope that while in this post I will cooperate for a free press, independent legal system, and a state of law of which all the Moldovan citizens will be proud."^[5]

Prime Minister of Moldova

Main articles: Prime Minister of Moldova and Vlad Filat Cabinet

Constitutional Court of Moldova confirmed the legitimacy of Mihai Ghimpu's position as acting president, which gave him the right to nominate a prime minister. In the same day, Ghimpu signed a decree nominating Filat for the office of prime minister. Earlier on Sept. 17, the parliament approved a new government structure; according to the draft structure, the number of ministries remains unchanged at 16 but their names and responsibilities have been changed.

The Alliance cabinet of Vlad Filat took office after winning the approval of parliament on September 25, 2009.^[6][7] Filat said that his first official visit as premier will be made to Brussels. He added that the agenda of the first official meetings will include visits to Paris, Berlin, Bucharest, and Kiev.^[8]

President of Moldova

Main articles: Moldovan presidential election, November–December 2009, President of Moldova, and Acting President of Moldova

On September 11, 2009, Mihai Ghimpu became the acting president of Moldova.^[9] The interim position was possible following the resignation of Moldovan President, Vladimir Voronin, announced in the morning of 11 September 2009 on the public broadcaster Moldova 1.^[10]

The resignation letter was sent to the Parliament secretariat and by a vote of 52 deputies in the plenary session of the legislature was declared vacant the post of the President of the Republic of Moldova. Therefore, in accordance with Article 91 of the Constitution of 1994, which provides that "the responsibility of the office shall devolve ad interim on the President of Parliament or the Prime Minister, in that priority order", Mihai Ghimpu becomes the interim President of the Republic of Moldova until a new president will be elected by the Parliament.

One of the goals of the Alliance is to elect the new president. The candidate of the Alliance is Marian Lupu.

The four parties need to elect a new president which will be impossible without having the support of at least 8 Communist MPs. The Communists can decide to block the election of the new president, which will mean that Vladimir Voronin (who resigned on September 11 and Mihai Ghimpu took over as interim) will stay on as acting president until new (early) elections next year.

The critics close to the Communists said that the new coalition was in fact a resurrection of the former Alliance for Democracy and Reforms, which had failed in its attempt to rule.^[11] After 1999, the Party of Communists used very successfully the incoherent activity of the Alliance for Democracy and Reforms for the discreditation of any form of political coalition formed without Communists.

Issues

Soviet Occupation Day

See also: Soviet Occupation Day

Mihai Ghimpu, interim president of Moldova in 2010 has decreed June 28 as the Soviet Occupation Day^[12][13] to remember the Soviet occupation on June 28, 1940^[14] The move was met with disapproval and calls for the decree's revocation inside the ruling coalition, and calls for Ghimpu's resignation among the opposition parties. Dorin Chirtoacă, mayor of Chişinău and member of the same party as Ghimpu, ordered the erection of a memorial stone in the National Assembly Square, in front of the parliament building, where a Lenin monument used to stand.^[15] The members of the coalitions argued that the time has not come for such a decree and that it would only help the communists win more votes.^[16] The Academy of Sciences of Moldova declared that "in the view of recent disagreements regarding June 28, 1940 [...] we must take action and inform the public opinion about the academic community views". The Academy declared that: Archival documents and historical research of international experts shows that the annexation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina was designed and built by Soviet Command as a military occupation of these territories. Ordinance of Interim President Michael Ghimpu reflects, in principle, the historical truth.^[17] But the Constitutional Court cancelled Ghimpu's decree on July 12, 2010.^[18][19] The Soviet Occupation Day is observed in Latvia to recall the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940^[20][21] and on July 21, 2010 Georgia follows the example and declared February 25 Soviet Occupation Day.^[22][23]

Constitutional referendum

The constitutional referendum aimed at breaking the political stalemate failed on September 5, 2010, following a low voter turnout.^[24][25] No further referendum can be called to change the constitution for direct elections of the president for another two years. The head of the observer mission from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Andreas Gross, praised the referendum as being well organised and corresponding to democratic standards.^[26]

2010 election

After the referendum failed, the Alliance announced on September 6 that it would consult the Constitutional Court of Moldova on dissolving parliament and holding a new election.^[27]

Gallery

• 
• 

  Total votes won by the opposition parties (PL, PLDM, AMN) which passed the 6% electoral threshold in the April 2009 election by raion and municipality

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• 
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References

1. ^ The New York Times, A Polarized Moldova Votes, Mindful of West and Russia, July 29, 2009
2. ^ Sofia Echo - Moldova's new cabinet to face investiture vote on January 14
3. ^ Politicom.Moldova.org: Moldovan Pro-Western coalition elects new speaker of the parliament
4. ^ New York Times: Moldova Elects New Speaker After Communist Walk – Out
5. ^ Azi.md: Mihai Ghimpu elected Speaker
6. ^ Moldova gets new pro-Western PM
7. ^ Moldova Gets Government, Eyes Integration In Europe
8. ^ Bucharest on the agenda of Vlad Filat’s first official visits
9. ^ ITAR-TASS: Mihai Ghimpu appointed Moldovan acting president
10. ^ HotNews.ro: Moldova's President announced his resignation
11. ^ Xinhua, Moldova's four pro-western parties set up governing coalition, August 8, 2009
12. ^ Vladimir Socor, Moldovan Government Chickens out of Historical Assessment of Communism
13. ^ În fiecare an, pe 28 iunie, Moldova va comemora Ziua ocupaţiei sovietice şi victimele regimului totalitar comunist
14. ^ Vladimir Socor, Russia Defends Soviet Occupation of Moldova
15. ^ Primăria a instalat în faţa Guvernului o piatră în memoria victimelor regimului comunist
16. ^ http://www.jurnaltv.md/ro/news/28-iunie-zi-de-ocupatie-sovietica-114081/#
17. ^ http://unimedia.md/?mod=news&id=20961
18. ^ Moldovan Leader: Court Ruling Against 'Soviet Occupation Day' Was Political
19. ^ Moldpres, Moldovan top court says presidential decree on Day of Soviet Occupation unlawful
20. ^ Likums "Par svētku, atceres un atzīmējamām dienām"
21. ^ 17. jūnijs – Latvijas Republikas okupācijas diena
22. ^ Georgia declares February 25 Soviet Occupation Day
23. ^ Georgia: Feb. 25 Declared 'Soviet Occupation Day'
24. ^ Reuters, Moldovan referendum appears to flop on low turnout
25. ^ Aljazeera.com, Moldova referendum scuttled
26. ^ Moldova faces new crisis after referendum debacle
27. ^ Balmforth, Richard. "Moldova's Rulers to Call Election after Poll Flop | Reuters." Business & Financial News, Breaking US & International News | Reuters.com. Ed. Mark Trevelyan. Reuters, 06 Sept. 2010. Web. 06 Sept. 2010. <http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE6851HJ20100906>.

External links

• (English) The New York Times, "Moldova's pro-Western Parties Reach Coalition Deal", August 8, 2009
• (English) BBC, "Moldovan parties form government", Saturday, August 8, 2009