The Parliament and the Presidential Office are being thoroughly reconstructed. The repair and modernization of the two buildings will cost at least 500 million lei and will last for eight and, respectively, five months. The information was provided by the outgoing Minister of Construction and Territorial Development Vladimir Baldovici during a briefing in the two buildings that were devastated on April 7, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to the minister, the damage caused to the two buildings is estimated at 120.05 million lei – 41.15 million lei for the Presidential Office and 78.9 million lei for the Parliament’s building. The furniture, equipment and objects destroyed in the Presidential Office were valued at 2 million lei, while those from the Parliament have not been yet inventoried. The repair and modernization works will cost four times more. The reconstruction of the Parliament will cost 250.6 million lei, while of the Presidential Office – 251.2 million lei. The money will be allocated from the state budget after the Parliament amends it, the minister said. Until then, the economic entities can transfer money to a treasury account opened a month ago for the purpose. Baldovici explained that the difference is great because the buildings will not be only repaired, but fully modernized so that they meet the standards applying to the most important buildings in a state. The minister also said that the two buildings were erected 30 years ago and are in need of extensive repair. He admitted that projects to renovate the buildings were prepared in 2006, but they had not been implemented as there was no money – in 2007 owing to the drought, while in 2008 due to the floods that affected Moldova. So, only the frameworks of the two buildings will be kept. The workers have already taken out the marble and carvings, cleaned the walls, ceilings, floors and stairs up to the stone. The buildings are renovated from the basement to the roof. The piping systems will be changed. There will be set up modern security systems and fire alarms. The offices will be opened with special cards and will be surveyed online. The assembly hall of the Parliament will be equipped with an electronic voting system, equipment for broadcasting the sittings and equipment needed by the mass media. In order to allow a larger number of visitors, journalists and interpreters to the sittings, the block will be extended. The annex planned in 2006 will be built at a cost of 75 million lei. The adjoining land will be also tidied up. Two fountains will be built in front of the Presidential Office and three fountains in front of the Parliament. They will form a common architectonical complex. The exterior of the buildings will not undergo significant changes. There will be fixed windows, stained-glass and roofs from modern materials, accompanied by lighting systems. The Presidential Office will be reconstructed by ACAR-Cantarji SRL, which won the tender contest. The Parliament will be repaired by ConfirmGrup SRL, which was founded by the current construction minister. Vladimir Baldovici said that he sold his holding even before becoming a minister. He also said that all the construction companies that worked until the tender contest was held did patriotic work, including Glorinal, which belongs to the President’s son Oleg Voronin, who did not even take part in the contests afterward. The buildings of the Parliament and the Presidential Office were devastated on April 7, when the peaceful protested degenerated into violence.