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Averting A PR Disaster In Moldova


Acting President Mihai Ghimpu
Acting President Mihai Ghimpu
What's the quickest way to quash budding hopes of renewal and reform in Europe's poorest country?

Give up?

Reuters has the answer, as acting President Mihai Ghimpu steps back from the precipice in Moldova, where a new pro-EU government hopes to turn the page on a decade of cronyism and backsliding under Communist rule:

Corneliu Ghimpu, 43, was the only name on the list of candidates proposed for the post of chairman of the central bank which was to have been discussed on Friday by parliament.

But when parliament convened, Mihai Ghimpu, who is parliament speaker as well as acting president, said he was withdrawing his nephew as a candidate.

Well done. But it's fair to ask what Ghimpu -- whose role is that of caretaker president until a vote can be called -- was thinking in the first place.

-- Andy Heil

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Written by RFE/RL editors and correspondents, Transmission serves up news, comment, and the odd silly dictator story. While our primary concern is with foreign policy, Transmission is also a place for the ideas -- some serious, some irreverent -- that bubble up from our bureaus. The name recognizes RFE/RL's role as a surrogate broadcaster to places without free media. You can write us at transmission+rferl.org

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