CHISINAU (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st May, 2020) Moldovan President Igor Dodon said on Wednesday that the government's resignation would be catastrophic for the country in light of the coronavirus pandemic and the economic crisis.
Earlier in May, the Pro Moldova opposition party called on lawmakers from other parties to create an anti-government bloc within the Moldovan parliament to oust the incumbent government of Prime Minister Ion Chicu. The motion was supported by the eurosceptic Sor party. Six lawmakers from the pro-EU Democratic Party, which together with the pro-Russian Socialists forms the ruling coalition, also joined in. In Moldova, if the government is dismissed, lawmakers are given three months to form a new government or else the parliament will.
"The resignation of the government at times when it is impossible to hold snap parliamentary elections simultaneously with the presidential election this fall, which will have to be postponed until the spring-summer of next year, will be a disaster because the government will not be able to be fully functional this year amid the pandemic, economic crisis, drought, " Dodon said in an interview with the Unimedia news outlet.
The president added that even if the government under Chicu was dismissed and replaced by a new cabinet right away, the country would still face the same difficulties, as the ministers would need several months to understand the situation.
According to Dodon, such a scenario could also complicate talks with Russia on a new 200 million euro ($216.6 million) loan to partially cover the state budget deficit.
On May 7, the Constitutional Court of Moldova recognized the agreement on the previous loan of the same amount as unconstitutional. On April 23, the court suspended the entry into force of the law on receiving the loan. Dodon has said that he intended to resume negotiations with the Russian authorities on financial support.
"We proposed to Russia that the process of signing the agreement was resumed. The question is, in what context will the agreement be concluded? Will there be a government and a parliamentary majority in the country? Money is allocated under certain conditions, an agreement must be approved by the parliament and what is the point of concluding an agreement if the government does not have parliament support?" the president said.
The Moldovan government has previously received a letter from the Russian Finance Ministry expressing its discontent with the decision to annul the previous agreement. Therefore, the main reason that could lead to Moscow's refusal to provide Moldova with a loan could be the political crisis in the republic.
Dodon has previously said that Moldova could face serious economic problems if it did not receive the loan from Moscow to partially cover the state budget deficit of nearly $900 million.
