STRASBOURG, France -- An influential member of the European Parliament has expressed support for Moldova's ruling coalition ahead of upcoming parliamentary elections, RFE/RL's Moldovan Service reports.
Monica Macovei, a Romanian member of the European Parliament, told RFE/RL in Strasbourg on November 2 that in the past year Moldova's four-party Alliance for European Integration (AIE) had shown a will to reform the country and should be "encouraged to complete those changes."
Macovei, who chairs the European Parliament commission that supervises the body's ties with Moldova, said her point of view on the Moldovan government was shared by many other members of the parliament.
The AIE came to power in 2009, defeating the largely pro-Russian Communist Party that had ruled Moldova for a decade. But the new parliament has been unable to elect a new head of state to replace Communist veteran Vladimir Voronin.
That failure has necessitated early elections to be held on November 28.
The pro-Western coalition is widely credited with bringing Moldova closer to the EU. The AIE was praised by EU foreign ministers last month in a statement assessing Moldova's progress in the so-called Eastern Partnership, a program designed to encourage reforms and European integration in six post-Soviet countries without promising them full EU membership.
Moldova's opposition Communists have condemned the EU's support for the current government as unfair, especially during an election campaign.
Monica Macovei, a Romanian member of the European Parliament, told RFE/RL in Strasbourg on November 2 that in the past year Moldova's four-party Alliance for European Integration (AIE) had shown a will to reform the country and should be "encouraged to complete those changes."
Macovei, who chairs the European Parliament commission that supervises the body's ties with Moldova, said her point of view on the Moldovan government was shared by many other members of the parliament.
The AIE came to power in 2009, defeating the largely pro-Russian Communist Party that had ruled Moldova for a decade. But the new parliament has been unable to elect a new head of state to replace Communist veteran Vladimir Voronin.
That failure has necessitated early elections to be held on November 28.
The pro-Western coalition is widely credited with bringing Moldova closer to the EU. The AIE was praised by EU foreign ministers last month in a statement assessing Moldova's progress in the so-called Eastern Partnership, a program designed to encourage reforms and European integration in six post-Soviet countries without promising them full EU membership.
Moldova's opposition Communists have condemned the EU's support for the current government as unfair, especially during an election campaign.
