Professional Documents
Culture Documents
AE, OBO, DS E.O. 12958: Declassify 11/25/18 TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PINR, AMGT, MD SUBJECT:
Ambassador Chaudhry about central government use of the Termocom heating issue to try to
embarrass him, stated his implacable opposition to unrepentant Communists, and agreed to
2. (C) Chirtoaca noted several tendentious changes in Termocom, the city's supplier of
electricity and central heating, since he took office in June 2007. Chirtoaca said that Termocom,
in only one year, had raised its estimates of power losses from 19% to 25%, and of water losses
from 900,000 cubic meters to 2.2 million. Termocom salaries have increased from 53 to 72
million lei. These increases have put an extra burden on the city administration, which must pay
the difference between citizen tariffs and actual costs. These tariffs have been kept artificially
low for years. Chirtoaca characterized the efforts of the government-owned energy company as
3. (C) Asked about the 2009 parliamentary elections, Chirtoaca said that the Party of
Communists (PCRM) would gain about 40% of the vote, and run an attractive dark horse
(possibly Deputy Prime Minister Valentin Mejinschi) as its candidate for president. In contrast
to his opening statement that the PCRM and its allies were losing their ability to fool the
people, he said that Communists were adept at hiding their true intentions with false pro-
democracy statements, and that most politicians in Moldova were unreformed members of the
4. (C) Chirtoaca, who was 28 when he was elected, said that he was a rare example of an
untainted politician, since he had achieved a top-level job without spending years in the
corrupting processes of Moldovan political activity. He said that his Liberal Party could possibly
cooperate with Serafim Urechean's AMN party, but then noted his sorrow that Urechean had
congratulated Russia on its invasion of Georgia. (Note: Chirtoaca had probably not seen the
morning edition of the PCRM- supported newspaper "Moldova Suverana," which described
half-page doctored photo of Chirtoaca fondling the crotch of a grossly fat woman. Urechean's
5. (C) Chirtoaca complained that the PCRM, which has lost voes steadily since it came to
power in 2001, was esperate to win in 2009, and could possibly keepthe presidency with a
combination of campaign abuses and post-election alliances with fellow travelers in other
parties. He cited the GOM's harassment of independent PRO TV as an example, and said
that the PCRM was confident that it could take away the station's broadcast license and still
maintain good relations with the international community if it won the elections.
6. (C) Chirtoaca said that he would run for Parliament in 2009, to help boost the vote of
democratic forces, but not take a seat. He would preserve his promise to the voters that he
would serve a full term as mayor. He hailed the November 4 European Court of Human Rights
decision against Moldova's election law. The law requires dual nationals to declare their other
nationality before running, and renounce their parliamentary seat or their other passport, if
they win the parliamentary race. The law, Chirtoaca noted, was aimed at Romanian-Moldovan
dual nationals, and reflected the GOM's opposition to citizens with a pro-Romanian, pro-
European attitude.
7. (C) Chirtoaca agreed readily that closing off CHISINAU 00001168 002 OF 002 100 meters of
the street in front of the Embassy to provide added security was a good idea, and requested
information on plans so that he could set up experts' meetings between City Hall and the
Embassy.
8. (C) Comment: Chirtoaca takes a hard line against Communists and fellow travelers, and will
not work with any politician who has not demonstrated, by word and deed, a commitment
to democracy. This limits his ability to form alliances, but, given his 61% showing in the final
round of the June 2007 local elections, it did not keep him from winning at least one election.
Whether he can repeat that performance, or pass his influence on to the rest of his party,
which languishes in single digits in the polls, remains to be seen. End comment. Chaudhry