Shame chants as Chișinău Council fails to approve budget fix
A fresh attempt to advance budget amendments in Chișinău descended into a major scandal during the November 24 session of the Chişinău Municipal Council (CMC).
The Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) faction, which claimed it was facing pressure and provocations, walked out of the hall. Meanwhile, councilors from the National Alternative Movement (MAN), the party of Mayor-General Ion Ceban, chanted: "Shame!"
Employee appeals and crying for salary increases
The debates commenced with local administration employees being invited to the microphone, where they complained about low wages. With tears in their eyes, they recounted how increasingly difficult it was to cope with salaries of approximately six thousand lei (approx. $330 USD) amid rising expenses they could no longer cover.
They implored the councilors to push through the budget amendments to allow for salary increases and the approval of annual bonuses. With the winter holidays approaching, many mentioned their desire to be able to buy gifts for their children for Christmas.
PAS accuses mayor of staging a 'show'
After listening to several speakers, the PAS faction leader, Zinaida Popa, told the employees they had been misled by those who encouraged them to attend the session. She stressed that without an approved budget for 2025, the municipal councilors are not legally entitled to adopt budget modification decisions.
"The provisional regime was established by the Mayor's order, and all adjustments, including those related to government transfers, can be operated via the same order," Zinaida Popa stated.
Political exchange and walkout
Following a heated exchange of accusations and offensive remarks, the PAS faction announced its departure from the session, stating they would only return when the Mayor withdrew the "illegal and shameful project" from the agenda. The MAN councilors, in turn, accused the PAS representatives of "sabotaging Chișinău's development."
Councilor Corneliu Pântea from MAN delivered a pointed political jab: "If we, the MAN councilors, are the Mayor-General's puppies, then the PAS councilors must be the President's 'Codruț'." (Codruț is the name of the dog adopted by the Presidency - Ed.)
He reminded the Council that Parliament had adopted amendments to the 2025 state budget two weeks prior, transferring supplementary funds to Chișinău municipality for salaries and bonuses.
"These amendments to the state budget oblige us to adjust the budgetary indicators of Chișinău municipality to ensure the financing of mandatory expenses: salaries for municipal institution employees, annual bonus payments, electricity and heating consumption, as well as allowances and compensations for graduates," the MAN councilor specified.
Corneliu Pântea further claimed that without the approval of this draft decision, the payment of salaries for November would not be possible. He recalled that the 2025 municipal budget—which PAS claims has not been approved—had been proposed to the Chișinău Municipal Council eight times but was excluded from the agenda each time.
Disputes Continue Outside City Hall
The disputes continued in the City Hall lobby, where the PAS faction attempted to organize a press conference but was ultimately forced to relocate outside the institution.
Zinaida Popa, the PAS faction leader in the CMC, declared that the Mayor possesses all the necessary legal mechanisms to adjust the provisional budget. She asserted that the Municipal Council should not be turned into a façade for non-transparent adjustments nor into a "rubber-stamp machine."
"They actually want to justify 200 million lei worth of expenditures through this decision, which at first glance appears to be an innocent initiative. Of course, these people have every right to receive their salaries if Ion Ceban carries out his duties according to legal competencies. However, what is happening now is a well-staged show orchestrated by the Mayor-General," Zinaida Popa concluded.
The session was interrupted without any indication of when it would resume.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
