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Dniester region’s parliament to consider candidate for premiership

If parliamentarians reject the candidate three times, the president has the right to dissolve the parliament

TIRASPOL, January 18 (Itar-Tass) — The Dniester region’s parliament on Wednesday will consider candidacy of former industry minister Pyotr Stepanov for premiership.

The newly elected president of the unrecognized republic Yevgeny Shevchuk nominated him for this post. If parliamentarians reject the candidate three times, the president has the right to dissolve the parliament.

Representing a program of a new Cabinet to the parliament’s presidium on Tuesday Stepanov pointed to the republic’s complicated economic situation.

“This year the budget deficit is 70 percent, such figure has never been registered for the whole history of the republic,” he said stressing the need for changing the investment climate and creating new jobs.

“For many years we’ve stayed artificially isolated from the outside world. This is inadmissible. All efforts should be targeted at attracting investments. Moreover, it is necessary to put things in order as concerns rehabilitation of the republic’s image,” Stepanov said.

The candidate for premiership stressed the need for the Dniester region to recognize its gas debt to Russia’s gas giant Gazprom and to seek its restructuring.

Speaking about the structure of a new Cabinet he noted that this will be “a mixture of experience and youth, mobile structure of the republic’s management.” He promised to form the Cabinet within a week.

The Dniester region established the post of prime minister last year ahead of the December presidential election won by Yevgeny Shevchuk. The parliament approved amendments to the relevant law abolishing the position of vice-president.

The prime minister will be empowered to nominate candidates to head ministries and local administrations. The president appoints independently only the head of the customs committee, ministers of defence and law enforcement structures and of foreign affairs.