Electoral contestants

Communist Party of Moldova

Chairman: Vladimir Voronin Electoral slogan: "Through Local Power towards People's Power!"

Candidate for the position of General Mayor of Chisinau Municipality:
Vasile Zgardan

The electoral programme of the Communist Party of Moldova

The Communist Party of Moldova (CPM) is the party of the people, workers, peasants, engineers, scientists, teachers, doctors, intellectuals, artists, businessmen, farmers, pensioners, the young and the unemployed. The CPM's ranks are growing ever more, and the last parliamentary elections have confirmed this: in 2001, more voters voted for the sickle and hammer than for all the rest of parties taken together. People believe that together we will be able to change our destiny for better.

Having come to power two years ago, the communists have done all they could to upkeep and enforce this belief. Despite the enormous economic hardships, the communists are putting their electoral programme into practice and are fulfilling the promises made to the voters.

During this brief period of time, we stopped the economic decline and we achieved economic growth, thus laying the foundation for solving a number of social problems.

With the help of the results obtained by us in the economic field, we have managed to solve or lessen the most pressing social problems. First, we have paid off the state wage debts to the state employees and pensioners. Then we have raised the wages of teachers, doctors, pensions and stipends. This year, we have started to pay back, in stages, the savings stolen in 1990-1992 from the population by the so-called "democratic" regime back then.

Upon the initiative of our country's leadership, we have developed a dialogue with the civil society, improved relations between different ethnic groups, opened new prospects for the respect of citizens' democratic rights and liberties and enhanced Moldova's relations internationally. We have also reached a certain progress on the issue of re-integrating the country.

At the same time, we realise that all these are not enough to improve radically people's lives. But this has been the most that could have been done under the current difficult circumstances. The financial means do not fall from the sky and they never will. They need to be earned through the rebirth of our national economy and the development of economic initiatives and entrepreneurship, as well as through enhancing the efficiency of the activity of all power branches and structures - from Parliament to the village mayoralty.

As part of the application of our electoral programme, which was supported by the majority of the population in the 2001 parliamentary elections, the CPM faction drafted and ascertained the adoption of the Law on the Territorial Administrative Organisation of the Republic of Moldova, whereby the old administrative units - districts - are being restored. By abolishing the districts four years ago, the so-called "reformer democrats" destroyed the time proven foundations of local power, distanced the local authorities from the ordinary people, doubled the army of local bureaucrats (officers of all levels), set on the degradation of the former district centres and completely wasted their socio-economic potential. This can no longer be tolerated. We can and we have the obligation to contribute to the re-birth of our towns, districts and villages.

The solution of all problems will largely depend on those who will get to power in the result of the forthcoming elections to the bodies of local power. Our party counts on the voters' wide support for the CPM candidates. Our lists of candidates for mayors and councilors do not include only communists, but also party-less candidates, who enjoy a lot a trust and authority among the voters.

We are confident that our representatives, once elected to the bodies of local public administration, will focus their efforts on fulfilling the following key objectives:

• Setting up the foundations for the development of a real power of the people in the republic through the new elect local authorities;
• Restoring and consolidating an efficient system of self-administration, social infrastructure in the districts and solving the problems of gas, water and heat supply;
• Contributing to the restoration and development of local agricultural-industrial, industrial, constructions and transport enterprises, regardless of their form of ownership, and to the creation of new jobs;
• In parallel with the recognition of the right to private ownership of land, encouraging farmers to set up the most efficient forms of organisation of labour, and contributing to the voluntary co-operation and legal consolidation of their land lots;
• Achieving a good functioning of local enterprises, institutions and organisations providing communal and transport services, and restoring the village and district consumption co-operation;
• Ensuring an actual social protection of the population, particularly of pensioners, families with many children, the youth and other vulnerable categories;
• Instituting a permanent and efficient control upon the payment of wages, pensions, stipends and allowances;
• Achieving the good functioning of institutions in the field of education and health assistance, and restoring the objects of cultural purpose, such as clubs, museums, libraries, historical and cultural monuments;
• Ensuring a maximum level of care for the ordinary people, their concrete needs and aspirations, their rights and personal security;
• Fighting bureaucracy, slowness, bribery and corruption in the local power bodies;
• Organising an efficient and firm fight against delinquency, robbery and banditry;
• Restoring the activity of people's guards;
• Harmonising the relations between ethnic groups and eliminating discrimination on the basis of nationality and language.