Contests for various City Hall jobs are a farce, said civil society representatives who promote animal rights. In particular, the activists are referring to the appointment of Vitalie Voznoi as acting head of the Animal Protection and Control Section of the General Directorate of Housing and Planning (DGLCA), an appointment which they consider illegal.
During a press conference, Anastasia Cozlovschi, animal protection society "Human Society" representative, said that a protest was organized in front of the Town Hall on August 13. Mayor Ion Ceban did not show up to talk to the demonstrators. Only Vitali Voznoi, whose appointment to the position is disputed, was present. A few days later, the head of the DGLCA Ion Burdiumov reacted by suggesting that an employee of the DGLCA was behind the protest and was aiming at Voznoi's position. But Anastasia Cozlovschi says this is not the case.
She said that the City Hall and DGLCA mislead people, organizations and journalists. The protest is a form of expressing discontent, pointed out Anastasia Cozlovschi. "But there are people like Ion Ceban and Ion Burdiumov who forget that they serve the people and not the other way around", added the activist.
Iana Verber, another animal rights activist, said that the protest called for Ion Burdiumov's dismissal for promoting loyalists instead of selecting professionals, which leads to incompetent decisions. Iana Verber said that Chișinău residents have been deprived of the possibility to have their pets sterilized free of charge because of the faulty tender organization for a veterinary clinic selection. As a result, 450 animals per month are not sterilized, which ends up increasing the number of stray animals.
Iana Verber said that, originally, it was planned for everyone to be able to access free sterilization services under the project. Following Vitalie Voznoi's appointment, this service remained available only to low-income households. At the same time, no clear eligibility criteria were formulated.
The two activists pointed out that a competition for the position of Animal Control and Protection Section head was scheduled for August 20. The activists are concerned that the competition could be rigged and said that they will monitor the situation carefully and that they are determined to take action to prevent this from happening.
