Candidate for Moldovan premier seeks "radical" reforms

Candidate for Moldovan premier seeks "radical" reforms Chisinau - The top candidate for the position of Moldova's prime minister on Monday said he would work for "radical" reforms to government if elected, according to an Infotag news agency report.

"We will change the role of government completely," said Vlad Filat. "But we must do it in a transparent manner."

A four-party coalition ruling Moldova's parliament on Friday nominated Filat for the prime minister's job. He was speaking at a meeting of union and business leaders in Chisinau, the capital.

"You have to understand, the government programme (for reforms) right now is just on paper," Filat said. "We need to work out the details in discussion."

The pro-Western coalition took power in August, ending a 10-year Communist Party hold on power in the former Soviet republic.

Filat said if he were elected by parliament to lead the next cabinet he would reverse Communist traditions of state decision- making without voter input. He called on meeting attendees to make suggestions for better government in the future.

Among the proposals put forward by participants at the meeting were a hike in the minimum wage, tax breaks for capital-generating industry and greater attention to the hiring of youth. Speakers in the audience included investment bankers, union leaders, insurance industry executives, and construction and transportation professionals.

Several requested that a Filat-led cabinet focus on cutting red tape and battling widespread official corruption.

"We will take it all under consideration," Filat said. "We want to hear from you."

Filat heads the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova, the largest bloc in the four-party ruling coalition, which controls 53 seats in the country's 101-seat parliament.

The Communists are in opposition, with 48 seats. (dpa)