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RR RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSL RUEHSR
DE RUEHCH #0009/01 0110613
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 110613Z JAN 10 ZDS
FM AMEMBASSY CHISINAU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8740
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CHISINAU 000009 
 
C O R R E C T E D COPY (DECL ADDED) 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/UMB 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/10/2020 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM EAID PINR MD
SUBJECT:  OUR MOLDOVA ALLIANCE ON VERGE OF SPLIT 
 
CHISINAU 00000009  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Classified by: Charge d'Affaires Marcus Micheli 
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary:  The Our Moldova Alliance (AMN), 
one of the four parties of the ruling Alliance for 
European Integration (AIE), is on the verge of a 
schism following a heated December 12 party 
congress.  Though AMN Chairman (and Deputy 
Parliament Speaker) Serafim Urechean retained his 
post, a faction supporting party Deputy Chair 
Veaceslav Untila left the hall in protest.  Untila 
told the Ambassador on December 16 that his group 
would split, but promised that he would continue 
to support the Alliance -- which currently has 53 
members in the 101-seat Parliament -- while 
attempting to attract smaller non-parliamentary 
parties to a new political force to compete in the 
next parliamentary elections.  A schism within the 
AMN may signal the death knell of that party, 
which is has been plummeting in the polls.  End 
Summary. 
 
Fireworks at AMN Party Congress 
------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) The AMN convened its party congress on 
December 12 to elect a new Chairman.  Urechean was 
initially the only candidate, but Deputy Chair 
Veacheslav Untila, calling for stronger party 
leadership, put forth his own name.  Delegates 
squabbled over whether to vote by secret ballot -- 
Untila supporting and Urechean opposing -- but in 
the end, 260 of 423 party representatives backed 
Untila's proposal. 
 
¶3. (SBU) However, a dispute continued over voting 
process and procedures.  Representatives of the 
two camps scuffled on the floor of the hall, 
exchanging accusations of corruption and 
dictatorship in the party, with the dissenters 
being accused of acting in the interests of the 
Communist Party.  Untila then declared he would 
not participate in the vote and left the hall, 
accompanied by some 100 supporters, including 
Iurie Colesnic, another party Deputy Chair, and 
Sergiu Baltaga, leader of the Party's Youth 
Organization. 
 
¶4. (SBU) After the dissenters departed, Urechean 
was re-elected as Chairman.  Key AMN leaders, such 
as Deputy Prime Minister Osipov, Minister of 
Agriculture Cosarciuc, Minister of Education 
Bujor, Minister of IT and Telecommunications 
Oleinic, and Chairman of the Parliament's Legal 
Committee Plesca, supported him.   In his 
acceptance speech, Urechean promised not to 
persecute his opponents, who he predicted would 
"change their minds after a night of reflections." 
 
Urechean Calm After Stormy Congress... 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) In a pre-congress December 2 with the 
Ambassador, Urechean had expressed concern that 
Prime Minister Filat had been trying to lure 
Untila into a "murky partnership" in order to 
wrest control of the AMN.  Urechean said at the 
time that if Untila took over, he would merge AMN 
with Filat's Liberal Democratic Party. 
 
¶6. (C) However, in a December 14 meeting with the 
Ambassador, Urechean downplayed the significance 
of dissent at the congress, claiming that "nothing 
really happened."  He said it was natural for his 
leadership to be challenged; this was part of the 
democratic process.  He vowed to try to improve 
relations with Untila, who he said would not be 
dismissed as head of the AMN parliamentary 
faction.  (Note:  However, Urechean also said that 
if Untila wanted to leave the party, he could.) 
 
...But Warns PM's Meddling Could Threaten Alliance 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶7. (C) Nonetheless, Urechean warned ominously that 
if Untila's move had been coordinated with Filat, 
this would "end the Alliance."  He said that he 
had talked to Filat about the issue, and that 
Filat had admitted "holding discussions" with 
Untila, but claimed that he had never promised 
anything to Untila.  (Note:  In response to the 
 
CHISINAU 00000009  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
Ambassador's further queries, Urechean first said 
he thought it was "not possible" that Filat would 
try to undermine him, but then said he could not 
be sure.) 
 
Untila Plans New Party 
---------------------- 
 
¶8. (C) In a December 16 meeting, Untila explained 
to the Ambassador that after the last opinion poll 
showed only 1.2 percent support for AMN, he had 
become convinced that a leadership change was 
necessary.  Urechean, with whom his relations had 
"always been tense," did not seem to understand 
this.  Untila said he had a "moral right" to be 
party leader, and that he was supported by "nine 
out of 14 party raion (county) chairs and 21 out 
of 37 local chairs."  180 delegates had left the 
congress with him.  Untila also said he would have 
beaten Urechean if the congress election -- which 
he described as "a circus" -- had been "properly 
organized." 
 
¶9. (C) Untila said he would challenge the vote 
with the Ministry of Justice.  "So far" he was 
still in the AMN, but was planning to leave, 
taking his supporters, including the raion 
chairmen, with him.  Untila also assured the 
Ambassador that he would stick with the Alliance, 
even if his group split.  He said he would attempt 
to merge with several small, extra-parliamentary 
parties in advance of the next elections. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶10. (C) AMN is the weakest link in the Alliance 
for European Integration.  The party, once a 
leading force while in the opposition, has been in 
a steep decline, with recent opinion polls showing 
that it will not clear the five percent hurdle to 
enter Parliament in the event of early elections 
next year.  Untila's departure -- which appears 
highly likely -- will deal a further blow to the 
AMN.  Not only may Untila take some of the party's 
youth leaders and its regional heavyweights, but 
he is also one of party's principal financial 
sponsors. 
 
¶11. (C) But while the split will further weaken 
the AMN, it should not affect the stability of the 
government as long as Untila's MPs continue to 
vote with their Alliance partners, as is expected. 
(Note: It is unclear at this point how many AMN 
MPs would follow Untila should he leave the party. 
End Note) Potentially more serious is the strain 
in relations between Urechean, who has tended to 
back former Alliance presidential candidate Marian 
Lupu in Lupu's disputes with the PM, and Filat. 
However, at present Urechean appears uncertain 
what role, if any, Filat played, and in his 
weakened state has no current alternative to 
supporting the current government and PM. 
 
MICHELI