Several Moldovan opposition parties have rejected this Monday participating in the consultations convened by the country's president, Maia Sandu, to appoint a candidate to replace former Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu, who resigned last week alleging that he "cannot exercise his mandate" in coherence with his "principles and beliefs".
The opposition formations, including the socialists (PSRM) of Igor Dodon, former president of Moldova, and the National Alternative Movement (MAN), have confirmed that they will not attend these meetings and have called for the dissolution of Parliament and the holding of early legislative elections as a way to face the new political crisis in the Moldovan Executive.
Dodon has stated that he "sees no reason whatsoever for this type of conversation" and has insisted that the citizens "want elections to end poverty, corruption, and inflation," according to statements disseminated by the Moldovan news portal NewsMaker.
In the same vein, the leader of MAN and mayor of Chisinau, Ion Ceban, has also communicated that his party is distancing itself from the process: "We have been invited to consultations to form a new government, but what are we looking for? What I ask the members of the party is not to attend," he pointed out. "In democratic countries, it is the head of the party that wins the elections who takes office," he clarified.
Moldovan legislation establishes that the head of state must present a candidate for prime minister to Parliament after holding consultations with the different parliamentary groups. Although the president may not follow their recommendations, the law obliges him to include all political forces in this process.
Early elections can only be triggered if Parliament fails to approve a new government in two votes within a period of 45 days. Currently, the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), led by Igor Grosu, has a majority of 55 seats in the Chamber, while the PSRM has 17 deputies and MAN has seven.