Chisinau mayor-elect Ceban says to quit Moldovan PSRM
CHISINAU. Nov 5 (Interfax) - Deputy Speaker of the Moldovan parliament and Secretary for Ideology in the Party of Socialists (PSRM) Ion Ceban, who won the mayoral elections in Chisinau on Sunday, has said he will quit the party once his mandate has been recognized.
"Once my mayoral mandate is recognized as valid, I'll do all I can to put into practice the program that we have prepared day by day. Everything that we promised during our election campaign will be implemented step by step. The people's confidence motivates me, and I want to be a mayor for all. Once my mandate is endorsed, I'll quit the PSRM. I want to work for the good of all residents of Chisinau and for the development of the city and its suburbs, and I am willing to renounce other functions to this end," Ceban said at a press conference.
The Chisinau Municipal Council will soon have a majority formed "for the good of Chisinau and the Chisinau residents," he said.
Ceban said his proposal to the opponents from the rightwing ACUM bloc remained on the table and he was still willing to share powers with them.
"This means that I am ready to cede the offices of two of the four deputy mayors and two of the five praetors of the Chisinau districts to my opponents, with whom we are partners at the national level, too. We are also prepared to amend the legislation and appoint a Municipal Council chairperson on a permanent basis. We have enough votes for this in parliament," he said.
It was reported earlier that Ceban had garnered 52.39% and his opponent Andrei Nastase, a candidate of the rightwing ACUM bloc of parties and interior minister, 47.61% of the vote in the Chisinau mayoral elections. Ceban gained the support of 123,807 voters and Nastase of 112,513. Voter turnout at the elections was 37.78%.