The European Social Democratic Party (PSDE) strongly condemns the attempt by the parliamentary majority to introduce an abusive mechanism that would allow Parliament to suspend mayors and local councils directly elected by citizens, TRIBUNA reports.

According to the party, this initiative is not a reform but a direct attack on local democracy and a clear attempt at political usurpation of power at the local level. PSDE argues that PAS wants to turn Parliament into an instrument of political purges, enabling the removal of inconvenient mayors under vague pretexts such as “national security” or “rule of law.” These ambiguous formulations open the door to abuses and political repression. Even more serious, the citizens’ vote becomes irrelevant, and the fate of local elected officials ends up being decided by a politically controlled parliamentary majority.

“We are witnessing an attempt at authoritarian centralization of power, in which the Government and Parliament claim the right to control and eliminate local administrations that do not align politically.
This initiative blatantly contradicts European standards and the commitments assumed by the Republic of Moldova, including the fundamental principles of the Council of Europe regarding local autonomy,” the European Social Democrats underline.

In this context, PSDE calls for:

• the immediate withdrawal of the draft law;
• an end to attempts to intimidate local elected officials;
• respect for citizens’ votes and genuine democracy.

PSDE states that mayors are directly elected by citizens, and their dismissal or suspension must result exclusively from the will of voters or from clear and independent judicial procedures — not from a political decision.