EU urges Moldovans to break political stalemate

Moldova’s political leaders should break the political stalemate which has gripped the country by working together to name a new president, European Union officials said Tuesday.

EU foreign policy chief and enlargement commissioner Stefan Fule, in a statement called for ‘open and constructive dialogue paving the way for the formation of a governing coalition as well as the election of the President of the Republic.’

Moldova’s national election at the weekend handed victory to the pro-European coalition, but left it four votes shy of the supermajority needed to elect a president. The state has been without a president for over two years after the opposition Communist party blocked all attempts to appoint one.

Moldova, once a constituent state of the Soviet Union, is keen to move closer to the affluent EU, but its political gridlock has left it unable to bring in the reforms which would allow it to do so.

The formation of a government and appointment of a president are needed ‘to tackle the priority reforms that will shape the country’s future,’ Ashton and Fule said.

The EU ‘is committed to deepening its relations with the Republic of Moldova and supporting it in implementing an ambitious reform and EU approximation agenda,’ the two officials said.

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