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Moldovan President Dodon invites int’l mediators to help settle political crisis

Igor Dodon said that Democratic Party does not want to hand over power peacefully

Moldovan President Igor Dodon Mikhail Metstsel/TASS

Moldovan President Igor Dodon

© Mikhail Metstsel/TASS

CHISINAU, June 9. /TASS/. Moldovan President Igor Dodon has invited foreign mediators to help settle the acute political crisis amid the situation of dual power in the country.

"We have asked international partners to act as mediators, if they can. We invite them to come here, form a team of three to four persons to help ensure peaceful transition of power. If peaceful efforts fail, we will call on people to take to the streets in peaceful protests. This decision may be taken tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, depending on the situation," he told a briefing at the parliament on Sunday.

"In the recent hours we have been receiving many congratulations from our external partners concerning the legitimacy of the process that took place yesterday at the parliament. We understand that our opponents, I mean from [Vladimir] Plahotniuc’s Democratic Party, do not want to recognize it and hand over power peacefully," Dodon noted.

In his words, there are no grounds for dissolving the parliament. "Everyone was sure that the deadline for the formation of the government expired on June 9," he pledged. But the Constitutional Court, which he claims is controlled by the Democratic Party, set the deadline on June 7. Notably, it announced that only on June 8.

Moldova’s parliament, which failed to establish the ruling coalition and form the government after the February elections, on Saturday managed to overcome the risk of dissolution and setting early polls. This happened after the Party of Socialists supporting Moldovan President Igor Dodon agreed with the pro-EU bloc Acum to oppose the Democratic Party led by Vladimir Plahotniuc, which controlled the former parliament and the cabinet.

The leader of the Party of Socialists Zinaida Greceanii was elected the parliament’s speaker, and the government was formed with Maia Sandu, who heads the Party of Action and Solidarity, a part of the Acum bloc, as the prime minister. The Democratic Party however refused to recognize the new government and its supporters blocked entrances to the government and the ministries.

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