Politics of Moldova

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Moldova
This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Moldova

President Vladimir Voronin Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev Parliament Political parties Elections Subdivisions Foreign relations See also: Politics of Transnistria
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Politics of Moldova takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Federal legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The position of the break-away republic of Transnistria and the relations with Romania dominate the political agenda.

1 Developments since independence
2 Criticism
3 Transnistria
4 Executive branch
5 Legislative branch
6 Political parties and elections
7 Judicial branch
8 Administrative divisions
9 International organization participation
10 Notes

[edit] Developments since independence

Mircea Snegur was elected president of Moldova in October 1990 by the Parliament. A former Communist Party official, he endorsed independence and actively sought Western recognition. Moldova declared its independence from the Soviet Union in August 1991. However, Snegur's opposition to immediate reunification with Romania led to a split with the Moldovan Popular Front in October 1991 and to his decision to run as an independent candidate in a December 1991 presidential election. Running unopposed, he won after the Popular Front's efforts to organize a voter boycott failed.

Moldova's transition to democracy initially had been impeded by an ineffective Parliament, the lack of a new constitution, a separatist movement led by the Gagauz (Christian Turkic) minority in the south, and unrest in the Transnistria region on the left bank of the Nistru/Dniester River, where a separatist movement--assisted by uniformed Russian military forces in the region and led by supporters of the 1991 coup attempt in Moscow--declared a "Dniester republic."

Progress has been made on all these fronts. In 1992, the government negotiated a cease-fire arrangement with Russian and Transnistrian officials--although tensions continue--and negotiations are ongoing. In February 1994, new legislative elections were held, and the ineffective Parliament that had been elected in 1990 to a 5-year term was replaced. A new constitution was adopted in July 1994. The conflict with the Gagauz minority was defused by the granting of local autonomy in 1994.

The February 1994 Parliamentary elections were conducted peacefully and received good ratings from international observers for their fairness. Prime Minister Andrei Sangheli was re-elected to his post in March 1994, as was Petru Lucinschi to his post as speaker of the Parliament. Authorities in Transnistria, however, refused to allow balloting there and discouraged the local population from participating. Inhabitants of the Gagauz separatist region did participate in the elections, however.

In the presidential elections of 1996, Parliamentary speaker Petru Lucinschi surprised the nation with an upset victory over the incumbent, Mircea Snegur, in a second round of balloting. The elections were widely judged as free and fair by international observers, a hallmark that would come to characterize every other nationwide election in Moldova as well.

Though President Lucinschi managed to institute some very important reforms--among them the successful fight for the "Pamint" land privatization program--his tenure was marked by constant legislative struggle with Moldova's Parliament. Several times, the Parliament considered votes of no confidence in the president's government, and a succession of moderate, pro-reform prime ministers were dismissed by a Parliament increasingly dominated by its single-minded Communist Party faction.

In 2000, Parliament passed a decree declaring Moldova a Parliamentary republic, with the presidency henceforth to be decided not by popular vote, but by Parliamentary vote. However, since no single candidate was able to garner a majority of votes, Lucinschi temporarily remained president. Later that year, when Parliament failed three times to successfully elect a new president, Lucinschi exercised his right to dissolve Parliament, calling for new parliamentary elections in the hope that a new Parliament would be more open to his initiatives--and, possibly, even rescind the decree on election of the president.

Widespread popular dissatisfaction with the government and the economy, however, led to a surprise at the polls, in February 2001. In elections certified by international observers as free and fair, Moldova's populace voted overwhelmingly for the communists. The communist faction, which had consisted of 40 of Parliament's 101 seats, jumped to 71--a clear majority. Communist deputies were then able to elect as president Vladimir Voronin, the leader of their faction.

Since election, President Voronin has proceeded with President Lucinschi's plans to privatize several important state-owned industries, and has even on occasion broken with his own party over important issues. Under President Voronin, however, relations with Romania have become very tense, with the president himself declaring that the Romanian element of Moldova, constituting a ⅔ majority, as a fanatical minority. Other key feuds have occurred with the President desperate to establish a separate Moldovan identity from that of Romania at the same time denying his own ethnic group independence in the Transnistrian region. The ethnic Romanians are now called "Moldovans" and the Romanian language in Moldova has come to be called "Moldavan" when it is actually identical to Romanian.

The re-introduction of Russian into Moldovan schools caused widespread protests from the suppressed Romanian majority and much criticism over the increasingly authoritarian rule in Chişinău.

The key aspect of the new leadership in Moldova is to try and create a new nation-hood, perhaps a fusion of Romanians and ethnic Slavs in Moldova and to try to re-ignite Soviet style tactics to Russify the area, ironically in the post Soviet world this might be more probable than at the height of Soviet Power when millions of ethnic Romanians were deported as well as abused and oppressed by the Kremlin to make way for the lage scale Russification of Moldova, a policy which was met with some success in areas such as Transnistria.

The Moldovan people's long-expected fusion with their Romanian kin seems to be a dead prospect as national sentiment continues to be eroded by zealous minorities and a Soviet-style government which endorses a communist agenda amidst economic collapse in the country and profits from the Russian colonists of the area, who were relocated there during Stalin's rule in accordance with the Molotov Pact.

[edit] Criticism

There is disagreement as to whether elections and politics in Moldova is carried out in a free and democratic climate on the part of certain organizations. The United States Senate has held committee hearings on irregularities that marred elections in Moldova, including arrests and harassment of opposition candidates, intimidation and suppression of independent media, and state run media bias in favor of candidates backed by the Communist-led Moldovan Government.^[1] Other critics have also referred to the Communist Party government as being authoritarian.^[2]^[3] Nevertheless, President Bush stated that: "We note and welcome Moldova's positive record since independence in conducting free and fair elections and in implementing democratic reforms."^[4]

There have also been reports of politically motivated arrests and arrests without valid legal grounds. Such arrests are allegedly carried out against opponents of the Communist Party government of President Vladimir Voronin. In one case which was criticized by vrious Western organizations and individuals, opposition politician Valeriu Pasat was sentenced to ten years imprisonment on dubious grounds.^[5]

[edit] Transnistria

The population of the Moldovan region of Transnistria is 30% Romanian, 30% Ukrainian, and 30% Russian. Moldova has tried to meet the Russian minority's demands by offering the region rather broad cultural and political autonomy. The dispute has strained Moldova's relations with Russia. The July 1992 cease-fire agreement established a tripartite peacekeeping force comprised of Moldovan, Russian, and Transnistrian units. Negotiations to resolve the conflict continue, and the cease-fire is still in effect. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) also is trying to facilitate a negotiated settlement and has had an observer mission in place for several years.

In February 2001, the Communist Party of Moldova won more than two-thirds of the seats in the Parliament and selected party chairman Vladimir Voronin as President. Moldova succeeded during 2001 in joining the World Trade Organization and the Southeast European Stability Pact. Of primary importance have been the government's efforts to improve relations with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank and to comply with agreements negotiated in 2000 by the former government. Agreement in these areas is critical because large government debts that come due in 2002 must be rescheduled. The government has made concerted efforts to find ways to pay for Moldova's energy supplies.

Politically the government is committed to present a budget that will deal with social safety net items such as health, education, and increasing pensions and salaries. The Moldovan Government supported democracy and human rights in FY 2001. The country remained divided, with the Transnistrian region along the Ukrainian border controlled by separatist forces. The new communist government has shown increased determination to resolve the ongoing conflict but has been unable to make significant progress because of fundamental disagreements with the separatist authorities in Transnistria over the status of that region.

Recent progress by Russia in destroying the weapons and munitions of the Organized Group of Russian Forces stationed in Transnistria have raised hopes that Russia intends to comply with the 1999 Istanbul Accords. In recent months, the leadership of the autonomous region of Gagauzia has become more vocal in its complaints that the Moldovan Government does not respect the region's statutory-enshrined autonomy.

Political parties and other groups publish newspapers which often criticize government policies. There are several independent news services, radio stations, and an independent television station. Peaceful assembly is allowed, though permits for demonstrations must be obtained; private organizations, including political parties, are required to register with the government. Legislation passed in 1992 codified freedom of religion but required that religious groups be recognized by the government.

A 1990 Soviet law and a 1991 Parliamentary decision authorizing formation of social organizations provide for independent trade unions. However, the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Moldova, successor to the former organizations of the Soviet trade union system, is the sole structure. It has tried to influence government policy in labor issues and has been critical of many economic policies. Moldovan labor law, which is based on former Soviet legislation, provides for collective bargaining rights.

[edit] Executive branch

Main office holders
Office	Name	Party	Since
President	Vladimir Voronin	PCRM	7 April 2001
Prime Minister	Vasile Tarlev	PCRM	19 April 2001

The president is elected by the Parliament for a four-year term. According to the Moldovan constitution, the president, on consulting with the parliament, will designate a candidate for the office of prime minister; within 15 days from designation, the prime minister-designate will request a vote of confidence from the parliament regarding his/her work program and entire cabinet. The cabinet is selected by prime minister-designate, subject to approval of parliament.

[edit] Legislative branch

The Parliament (Parlamentul) has 101 members, elected for a four year term by proportional representation. The president is elected for a four year term by parliament.

[edit] Political parties and elections

The following election results include names of political parties. See for additional information about parties the List of political parties in Moldova. An overview on elections and election results is included in Elections in Moldova.

[discuss] – [edit]
**Summary of the 6 March 2005 Parliament of Moldova election results**
Parties and coalitions	%	Seats
Communist Party of Moldova (Partidul Comuniştilor din Republica Moldova)	45.98	56
Party Alliance Our Moldova (Alianţa Moldova Noastră)	28.53	22
Democratic Party of Moldova (Partidul Democrat din Moldova)		8
Social Liberal Party (Partidul Social Liberal)		4
Christian Democratic People's Party (Partidul Popular Creştin Democrat)	9.07	11
Electoral Bloc Motherland (Blocul Electoral Patria - Rodina) Socialist Party of Moldova (Partidul Socialist din Moldova) Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (Partidul Socialiştilor din Republica Moldova)	4.97	0
Social Democratic Party of Moldova (Partidul Social-Democrat din Moldova)	2.92	0
Republican Socio-Political Movement Equality (Miscarea Social-Politică Republicană Ravnopravie)	2.83	0
Party of the Socio-Economic Justice of Moldova (Partidul Dreptăţii Social-Economice din Moldova)	1.66	0
Peasants' Christian Democratic Party of Moldova (Partidul Ţărănesc Creştin-Democrat din Moldova)	1.37	0
Total (turnout %)		101

AMN, PDM and PSL formed the Electoral Bloc Democratic Moldova (Blocul Electoral Moldova Democrată).

[edit] Judicial branch

Supreme Court; Constitutional Court is the sole authority of constitutional judicature

[edit] Administrative divisions

Main article: Subdivisions of Moldova

Moldova is divided into 32 raions, or raioane, 5 municipalities (Chişinău, Bălţi and Tighina/Bender, Comrat, Tiraspol), one autonomous, non-contiguous region (Gagauzia), and the breakaway region of Transnistria, the status of which is disputed.

[edit] International organization participation

ACCT, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)