Moldovan parliament members agree on Alliance for European Integration III, deal pending on Wednesday
CHISINAU. July 22 (Interfax) - Moldova's Liberal Democratic Party, Democratic Party and Liberal Party will sign an agreement on Wednesday to set up the Third Alliance for European Integration. The agreement has been reached between the three party leaders, Vlad Filat, Marian Lupu and Mihai Ghimpu, who initialed the deal at around midnight.
They told reporters on Wednesday morning they had coordinated every technicality.
"This is a good political agreement bound to ensure a stable parliamentary majority in Moldova. The cabinet will be approved soon and tasked to provide order and to resolve the pressing problems of the population," Filat said.
In turn, Ghimpu welcomed the creation of the new pro-European majority which he described as "a good sign for citizens and foreign partners."
"The Alliance for European Integration (AEI) which looked dead has moved and turned into AEI III. We need to complete Moldova's European integration processes launched in 2009," he said.
Lupu said that the document initialed last night signified the end of the debate.
"The new alliance will coordinate every issue on a collegial basis. We will soon start consultations with President Nicolae Timofti and initiate parliamentary procedures for the soonest appointment of the prime minister and the approval of the government and its program," Lupu said.
The sides said they would continue meeting in the upcoming days in order to agree on the composition of the new government. The Liberal Democratic Party will retain the position of the prime minister, and the Democratic Party will control the parliament speaker's position.
The first Alliance for European Integration was formed by four pro-European parties (the Liberal Democratic Party, the Democratic Party, the Liberal Party and Our Moldova Alliance) after the early parliamentary elections of July 29, 2009. The alliance comprised of 55 deputies. The parliament failed to elect the president, and the country had another early parliamentary election on November 28, 2010. After that the Liberal Democratic Party, the Democratic Party and the Liberal Party formed the second Alliance for European Integration having 59 members.
A new political crisis happened a year later; Prime Minister Vlad Filat unilaterally denounced the Alliance for European Integration founding agreement, and Parliament Speaker Lupu and Filat himself had to resign.
The latest parliamentary elections were held in early 2015. The Liberal Democratic Party, the Democratic Party and the Liberal Party won 55 seats in all and started negotiations on forming the alliance. The negotiations failed due to the sides' unwillingness to reach a compromise. Later on, the Liberal Democratic Party and the Democratic Party announced the creation of a minority coalition of 42 deputies. That coalition lasted until June 12, 2015, when Prime Minister Chiril Gaburici tendered his resignation. The resignation of the prime minister led to the resignation of the entire government. Three pro-European parties agreed to set up the Third Alliance for European Integration.