Brussels, 21/01/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 20 January, the European Union called on the parties in Moldova for calm and restraint after the election earlier in the day of a new prime minister by the Moldovan Parliament, and the demonstrations that ensued.
“We encourage all stakeholders in the country to engage in a dialogue and find, together, a way forward for the Republic of Moldova”, said the spokesperson for High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini in a press release.
The Democrat Party candidate, Pavel Filip, was elected prime minister by the Moldovan Parliament with 57 out of 101 votes at a vote boycotted by the Socialist Party. As soon as he had been elected, demonstrators called for his resignation and for new parliamentary elections. Several people were reportedly wounded during the demonstrations. Filip, who promotes close links with the EU, will be the fifth prime minister the country has had since the start of 2015. The previous prime minister resigned in October.
Mogherini's spokesperson said that Mogherini was in “close contact” with the EU delegation in Chisinau and was “following the situation closely”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)