The governing coalition formed in June 2019, aiming to fight the oligarchy in the country fell apart. Sixty-three deputies from the Democratic Party ousted the government led by Maia Sandu passing the no-confidence vote, on November 12. Shortly after consulting with the parliamentary factions the President proposed Ion Chicu as Prime Minister, who obtained the confidence vote on November 14. The next the President was offering his help to the government from the prime minister’s chair.

ZdG studied the CVs and declarations of assets of the current technocratic government and asked the experts how technocrat this government is.   

In June 2019, the Socialist Party together with the ACUM Bloc formed from the Action and Solidarity Party and the Truth and Dignity Party Platform created a governing coalition. The coalition aimed to get rid of the Democratic Party’s rule and of Vladimir Plahotniuc, fugitive oligarch and former leader of the Democratic Party.  

• Moldova Announces Fugitive Oligarch, Vladimir Plahotniuc In International Search

Why the Socialists filed the no-confidence vote against the government

On November 6, the Minister of Justice, Olesea Stamate, canceled the results of the contest for the Prosecutor General position. 

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According to the Minister, the members of the commission did not have sufficient access to some information to verify the integrity of the candidates, and some members disproportionately appreciated some candidates, which led to the influence of the final results.

Stamate also proposed a new amendment for the Law of the Prosecutor’s Office, so that the Prime Minister can submit a list of candidates for the Prosecutor General position to the Superior Council of Prosecutors.  

After the Minister’s declaration, the government has assumed responsibility for the new amendment to the Law of Prosecutor’s Office. 

The Socialists, accused those in the ACUM Bloc and the Prime Minister of violating the provisions of the governing coalition agreement by assuming the responsibility regarding the modification of the Law of the Prosecutor’s Office.

In the mid of this political crisis the U.S. embassy to Moldova, the French embassy to Moldova, the German embassy to Moldova, the U.K. embassy to Moldova, the Romanian embassy to Moldova, along with the E.U. delegation to Moldova expressed their support for the Sandu government and the governing coalition, urging the political leaders to find as soon as possible a consensus regarding this political situation. 

On November 8, the Socialists filed a no-confidence vote against the Cabinet of Ministers headed by Maia Sandu.

The Parliament dismissed the Cabinet of Ministers headed by Maia Sandu, on November 12, during the plenary session. 

Sixty-three deputies gave their votes in favor of the censure motion against the government, from which 34 deputies were from the Socialist Party faction and 29 from the Democratic Party faction. 

Socialists and Democrats against the ACUM Bloc

Although the Democrats supported Socialists’ no-confidence vote against the Government during the plenary session, President Igor Dodon declared that a coalition between the Socialists and the Democrats won’t happen.   

Shortly after the Government was ousted, President Dodon invited all parliamentary factions to the negotiations. 

Following the talks with Dodon, Democrats have said they will not form a ruling coalition with either party. Adding that the parliamentary faction will vote for a Prime Minister who will consider the party’s proposals, no matter the political affiliation.     

And as the ACUM Bloc refused to propose another candidacy than Maia Sandu as prime minister, the Socialists decided to form a minority government, and the President proposed Ion Chicu as Prime Minister, calling it a technocratic government. 

“The next Government will be a technical one, not a political one. However, although it will be apolitical, the Government will have all the powers to implement the economic and social projects that the Socialist Party has promoted so far. Therefore, from today we announce that the Socialist faction is moving into the regime of forming a new Government, with the participation of the Presidency and other parliamentary factions,” the Socialists mentioned.

During the Black Box TV Show from the TV 8 channel, former Prime Minister Maia Sandu claimed that she has heard something about the President’s intentions to change the Government, proposing Ion Chicu as prime minister. However, she thought it won’t happen so soon.

On November 14, the Chicu government proposed by Dodon obtained the confidence vote and was invested with 62 votes, with deputies from the Socialist and Democratic parliamentary factions and one independent candidate.

ZdG takes a closer look at the Chicu government and how technocrat it is. 

A new technocratic government for Moldova

The new government has ten ministers, from which part are former councilors of  President Dodon, while others come from the former government led by the democratic party. 

The new Minister of Internal Affairs Pavel Voicu was the Minister of Defense in the Sandu Government, being promoted by the Socialist Party. Before taking up the chair, Voicu held for almost two years the position of adviser to the President of Moldova for special missions. Voicu has held several positions in law schools chief of the police inspectorate (IP) of Bender; head of Police Inspectorate Buiucani; Deputy Head of the Transport Police Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Police Department; Commissioner of the Police Station of the Cimişlia district; Head of the Control Unit of the Center for Combating Economic Crimes and Corruption, etc.

According to the declaration of assets and personal interests, submitted to the appointment as minister in the Sandu Government, Voicu declared for 2018 a salary of about 5,000 euros (100,000 lei) from the position of presidential adviser, to which is added a pension of almost 3,000 euros (59,000 lei). Voicu also owns two dwelling houses, of which one received as a donation, and a Skoda Superb model car, manufactured in 2017.

The new Minister of Defense, Victor Gaiciuc was a councillor of President Dodon in the field of national defense and security, but also secretary of the Supreme Security Council. Gaiciuc became the president’s adviser only a few months after he was elected to the Moldovan Parliament.

Previously, in 2017, Dodon  recommended to the Government to appoint Gaiciuc as Minister of Defense, a position he held in 2001-2004. Back then Vladimir Voronin, the then president of Moldova dismissed Gaiciuc invoking numerous crimes attested by the controls carried out, including the theft of ammunition and armament from the National Army’s endowment and the persistence of the phenomenon of so-called irregular relations in the military environment.

Previously,  anticoruptie.md wrote that in 2016 Moldova’s Union of Officers, whose president was Victor Gaiciuc, would have been involved in distributing the denigrating leaflets about the Maia Sandu, the counter-candidate of Igor Dodon in the presidential elections.

Gaiciuc declared in his last declaration of wealth a salary of about 4,000 euros (77,000 lei) and a compensation of around 3,000 euros (56,000 lei) from the Parliament. The Minister owns six agricultural lands, a Mercedes, a dwelling house received by inheritance, the share of an apartment and two other immovable property.

The new Agricultural Minister Ion Perju was an advisor to President Igor Dodon in the field of agribusiness and public administration. The new minister previously worked in the communist government, led by Zinaida Greceanii and Igor Dodon. Perju was Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry, appointed in 2008 by a decree signed by Prime Minister Zinaida Greceanii. Perju also served as an international consultant on agricultural policy and food security at the World Bank in the Competitiveness Improvement Project. 

For 2018, Ion Perju declares a salary of nearly 7,000 euros (137,000 lei) from the position of presidential adviser. The new minister indicates in the declaration of assets and personal interests a dwelling house of 106.8 square meters and a Honda CRV model car.

The new Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, Alexandru Flenchea was the head of the Reintegration Policy Bureau. He previously worked as an advisor in the O.S.C.E. Mission in Moldova, being awarded by Igor Dodon with the Civic Merit medal, in 2018.

According to the declaration of assets and personal interests, Flenchea declares for 2018 a salary of more than 3,000 euros (65,000 lei) from U.N.D.P. Moldova and almost 18,000 euros from the O.S.C.E. Mission. The minister also indicated in his declaration of assets two apartments and two cars.

The new Minister of Finance, Sergiu Pușcuță became known during the period of communist governance when he was the head of the Center for Combating Economic Crimes and Corruption, the position from which he resigned after seven months of activity. 

Pușcuță was an adviser on financial issues of the presidents Vladimir Voronin and Petru Lucinschi, and subsequently accessed the position of president of the Union of Insurers of Moldova, but also vice-director of the dairy producer JLC Group.

In February 2016, Pușcuță was installed as chief of the State Fiscal Inspectorate through an order signed by Octavian Armaşu, the Minister of Finance at that time, an exponent of the Democratic Party, and from 2017 he has been the director of the State Fiscal Service.

The new Minister of Education Culture and Research, Corneliu Popovici, is President Dodon’s education, culture and research councilor. Popovici was a university lecturer at the Academy of Public Administration. Popovici also was deputy director of the Academy of Public Administration. 

The new minister has declared for 2018 a salary of almost 7,000 euros (138,000 lei). The former presidential adviser also indicates in his declaration of assets and personal interests two extra-urban lands and three apartments.

The new Minister of Justice, Fadei Nagacevschi is a lawyer of the Socialist Party, and since 2019 he has been working in the cabinet of the president of the parliament Zinaida Greceanîi, as a councillor.

According to the declaration of assets and interests for 2018, Fadei Nagacevschi does not declare any income obtained in the workplace, except for the wife’s salary of more than 5,500 euros (108,000 lei). However, the lawyer obtained almost 2,500 euros (50,000 lei) from the alienation of a good. The new minister indicated in the statement two apartments and two cars.

The new Minister of Health, Viorica Dumbrăveanu was President Dodon’s adviser in the field of social development, a chair she has occupied after being released from the position of state secretary of the Ministry of Health. Dumbrăveanu is specialized in criminal law and criminology. She was the head of the Directorate for Family and Child Rights Protection, Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family (MMPSF). And for one year she was Deputy Minister of Social Protection, Family and Child.

In the statement of personal assets and interests, Dumbrăveanu indicates that she raised a salary of more than 9,800 euros (190,000 lei) from the Ministry of Health. She also owns five lands, a dwelling, two apartments and a model car Mercedez C200.

The Minister of Economy and Infrastructure, Anatol Usatîi was the first deputy chairman of the Executive Committee of Gagauzia. Before taking up this position, Usatîi was State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure in the Filip Government. 

In March-August 2015, Usatîi held the position of Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Transport and Road Infrastructure. He also was director of the Road Rehabilitation Project, realized with the support of the Millennium Challenge Corporation.

According to the declaration of assets and personal interests, Usatîi declares a salary of about 7,400 euros (143,000 lei) from the Ministry of Economy, an allowance from the State Road Administration in the amount of around 800 euros (16,000 lei), but also an allowance of about 1,700 euros (33,000 lei) from MoldATSA.

The new Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Aureliu Ciocoi, was a foreign policy adviser to President Dodon, since 2018.

Ciocoi was Moldova’s Ambassador to Germany and by cumulation to Danemark. He also was Moldova’s ambassador to China and for a short period of time Moldova’s Ambassador to the U.S. 

For 2018, Ciocoi indicates a salary of about 4,000 euros (78,000 lei) from the Presidency and about 6,000 euros (120,000 lei) from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The new minister passed in his declaration of assets an apartment and the share of a house of 107 square meters.

The Chicu Government met in a brief meeting with the President on November 15. And in the Prime Minister’s chair was President Igor Dodon.  

Dodon advised the government to overlook the critics, and focus on the things that all of them will achieve together. Dodon also mentioned that if the government will need support he will come and help. 

The experts’ opinion on the Chicu Government

ZdG asked the experts’ opinion about the newly appointed technocratic government. 

Dionis Cenuşă, an associate expert, from the Analytical Center Independent Expert Group said that the new government reflects a political cooperation that is taking shape between the Socialists and Democrats. 

Cenuşă affirms that this government can’t be called technocratic because the ministers, even if they are not party members, have very close relations with the presidency and the Socialists respectively, but also with the Democratic Party. 

And although this could mean for the laws to be passed easier, the quality of those laws will remain under question. 

Ion Tăbârță, expert in politics, from IDIS Viitorul named the Chicu Government a technocratic-personal one. He affirmed that although the people named in the government are people known for their domain of activity, those people were involved in certain political processes, mentioning also that the ministers will be subject to the President not to the Prime Minister, strengthening Dodon’s position and the institution of the Presidency. Tăbârță affirms that we might be on our way towards a presidential republic. 

Victor Juc, director of the Institute of Legal, Political and Sociological Sciences within the Moldovan Academy of Sciences claims that a technocratic government means that ministers are non-party figures. He mentions that through this investment, the President managed to consolidated his position in the Executive, naming the government a half technocratic one. 

Roman Mihăieș a political analyst affirms that there are two indicators for a technocratic government, the figure of the prime minister, and the absence of a coalition on the basis of the government, with a political program of a party.

Mihăieș claims that as the prime minister has no political color the government can be called a technocrat one. And although the government acts on the government’s program, he mentions that there is still this indicator of the six advisers of the president, which gives a political nuance. 

Mihăieș concluded that two-thirds of the government is a technocrat and one-third is political.