Liberal-Democrat councilor Ghenadie Dumanschi explained that the absence of his faction at what was supposed to be the inaugural meeting of the Chisinau City Council was due to a request made by Alliance partners. “We were asked by our partners from the Eurointegration Alliance not to participate in this meeting, and we conformed to this request. Today we expect to receive explanations from our colleagues”, Ghenadie Dumanschi told reporters. Earlier today the Liberal-Democratic faction in the City Council elected Ghenadie Dumanschi as its leader. At the same time, Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca, the vice president of Liberal Party, says that the Liberals haven't asked for such a thing. “We haven't asked anybody for anything. We just want to see what happens in the end with these local-level coalitions and in this context we have discussed with our Lib-Dem and Democratic partners, but without asking anything”, said Dorin Chirtoaca. “There should be a centrally adopted option for three parties to be together, PL, PLDM and PDM, for better or for worse, with all the benefits or risks involved”. The inaugural meeting of the City Council didn't take place because of a lack of quorum, with only the 26 Communist councilors appearing, out of a minimum of 34 required. The next attempt to hold a meeting will be on July 18. The Lib-Dem faction confirmed its intention to attend, while Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca avoided to tell if the Liberals would follow suit. If a City Council fails to assemble thrice, new elections are called.