GOVERNMENT
In 2000,
Parliament passed a decree making Moldova a parliamentary republic,
with the president elected by Parliament instead of by popular
vote. Widespread popular dissatisfaction with previous governments
and economic hardship led to a surprise at the polls in February
2001. In elections certified by international observers as free
and fair, slightly over half of Moldova's voters cast their ballots
for the Communist Party. Under the rules of Moldova's proportional
representation system, the Communist faction, which in the previous
Parliament consisted of 40 of Parliament's 101 seats, jumped to
71 -- a clear majority. The Parliament then elected the leader
of the Communist faction, Vladimir Voronin, to be President.
President
Voronin's first term was marked by up and down relations with
the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. Politically,
the government was committed to the reduction of poverty by allocating
more resources to social safety net items such as health, education,
and increasing pensions and salaries. Voronin proceeded with former
President Lucinschi's plans to privatize several important state-owned
industries and even on occasion broke with his own party over
important issues. Under President Voronin, relations with the
United States have remained strong. From January to April 2002,
large demonstrations took place in opposition to several controversial
government proposals, including expanded use of the Russian language
in schools and its designation as an official language. While
the demonstrations were sometimes tense, the government did not
use force and ultimately agreed to Council of Europe (CoE) mediation.
In March 2005 parliamentary elections, the Communist Party received 46.1% of the vote, or 56 seats in the 101-member Parliament--more than enough for the 51-vote minimum required to form a government, but short of the 61 votes necessary to elect a president. However, President Voronin was re-elected with support from the Christian Democratic People's Party and from the Democratic and Social Liberal party factions, after Voronin promised to deliver on needed reforms and Euro-Atlantic integration for the country. These defections broke apart the opposition unity of the pre-election Moldovan Democratic Bloc, led by Our Moldova Alliance (AMN) faction leader and former Chisinau Mayor Serafim Urechean.
Nationwide local elections in June 2007 showed improvement over nationwide parliamentary elections in 2005, with better access to the media for opposition candidates, and greater evidence of impartiality by the Central Election Commission. While the voting itself generally met international standards, the government's behavior in the campaign period--including bias in state media and misuse of administrative resources--remained a concern. The Party of Communists suffered a significant setback, losing the high-profile Chisinau mayoral election and control of numerous local councils to opposition party coalitions. Elections in the semi-autonomous region of Gagauzia were held in December 2006, while elections for the region's legislature were conducted in March 2008. Mikhail Formuzal, a longtime opponent of President Voronin, was elected "Bashkan" (Governor) in December 2006. After March 2008 elections for the People's Assembly, three months of political maneuvering passed before an ally of the Bashkan was elected Speaker.
Nationwide parliamentary elections will take place on April 5, 2009, and the new
Parliament will elect the next President of Moldova. Recent changes to the
election code could affect the outcome of the elections. Parties are prohibited
from forming electoral blocks and the threshold for parties to participate in
Parliament was raised from 4% to 6%. Candidates for parliament are also required
to declare if they hold other nationalities and, if elected, must renounce the
other nationality in order to take their seat in Parliament. It is also
uncertain whether opposition candidates will have equal access to media.
Harassment of some local and international non-governmental organizations
(NGOs), in the form of negative press coverage and registration difficulties, is
an additional concern.
In addition to state-sponsored media, there are several independent newspapers,
radio and television stations, and news services. The independent media
organizations, along with some that are affiliated with political parties, often
criticize government policies. In August 2004, Teleradio Moldova (TRM) was
officially transformed from a state-owned company into a public broadcaster.
However, journalists and civil society representatives, who claimed the process
was nontransparent and meant to stack the new TRM staff with those favorable to
the government, met this move with large protests. In February 2007, a
controversial privatization process shut down the popular, pro-opposition
Chisinau radio station Antena C, and installed new, pro-government management.
The U.S. Ambassador, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE), and western diplomatic missions condemned the developments, which seemed
to run counter to the Moldovan Broadcasting Code and risked silencing political
opposition. In 2008, independent station ProTV Chisinau faced government
harassment that included a criminal investigation into the station’s ownership, and refusal by the AudioVisual Coordinating Council to extend ProTV's broadcasting license automatically. However, apparently in response to strong expressions of concern by the European Union, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, and the U.S. Embassy, the Audiovisual Council announced in December 2008 that it would allow all broadcasters with expiring licenses to continue broadcasting until after the spring 2009 parliamentary elections.
A new law on public assembly, which took effect in February 2008, eliminated the need to obtain permission to demonstrate. In spite of this change, NGOs continued to express concern that the government limited freedom of assembly. Private organizations, including political parties, are required to register with the government. Moldova enacted a new law on religion in July 2007. The law, while noting the special status of the Moldovan Orthodox Church in Moldovan history and culture, in theory simplifies registration procedures and allows religious groups more access to public places. Although numerous religious groups have applied for registration under the new procedures, all, except for the Unification Church, have been refused on what they claim are arbitrary grounds.
Trafficking in persons (TIP) remains a very serious problem, as Moldova is considered a major source and, to a lesser extent, transit country. On the basis of positive actions undertaken by the Government of Moldova since March 2008, the Secretary of State has determined that the government does not yet fully comply with the minimum standards in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) for the elimination of trafficking, but is making significant efforts to bring itself into compliance. This is the standard for placement on Tier 2 of the State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report. The Secretary has placed Moldova on the Special Watch List because the determination that the Government of Moldova is making significant efforts is based, in part, on commitments by the country to take additional steps over the next year. Since the release of the June 2008 TIP Report, the Moldovan Government has presented evidence that it is taking tangible steps to address the problem of trafficking-related complicity.
Transnistria
The population of the Moldovan region of Transnistria is approximately
40% Romanian/Moldovan, 28% Ukrainian, and 23% Russian. Separatist
forces maintain control of the Transnistrian region, which lies
along the Ukrainian border. 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) is trying to facilitate a negotiated settlement and has had an observer mission in place for several years. In July 2002, OSCE, Russian, and Ukrainian mediators approved a document setting forth a blueprint for reuniting Moldova under a federal system. Over the next year and a half, the settlement talks alternated between periods of forward momentum and periods of no progress. In February 2003, the U.S. and EU imposed visa restrictions against the Transnistrian leadership. In April 2003, the Moldovan Government and the Transnistrian authorities agreed to establish a joint commission to draft a constitution for a reintegrated state. However, fundamental disagreements over the division of powers remained, and a settlement proved elusive.
President Voronin decided not to sign a Russian-brokered settlement with Transnistria in November 2003; the proposal -- seen by many as pro-Transnistrian - sparked opposition protests. During the summer of 2004, the Transnistrian separatists forcibly closed several Romanian language Latin-script schools in the region, for which the regime was subject to international condemnation. In 2005, Tiraspol prevented several farmers on the right bank of the Nistru River from working their fields on the left bank, within Transnistria's "borders." The OSCE Mission to Moldova eventually mediated solutions to these crises.
After a 15-month pause, the sides met for a renewed round of settlement negotiations in October 2005. Mediators from Ukraine, Russia and the OSCE joined the Moldovan and Transnistrian representatives at the talks. In addition, the U.S. and EU joined the talks as observers. However, subsequent "5+2" negotiations have made little progress on a settlement or on withdrawal of Russian forces from Moldova: Russia still has weapons and munitions of the Operational Group of Russian Forces (formerly the Russian 14th Army) stationed in Transnistria, although it pledged to remove them under a timetable established at the 1999 OSCE Ministerial - the so-called "Istanbul Accords." However, there has been no progress on Russian withdrawals since early 2004.
In response to Moldova's call for international monitoring of the border, in December 2005 the EU dispatched a Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM) to help stem the flow of illegal trade between Ukraine and Moldova. In March 2006, Ukraine and Moldova began implementing a 2003 customs agreement, under which Transnistrian companies seeking to engage in cross-border trade must register in Chisinau. Despite the protests of Transnistrian leader Igor Smirnov, all major Transnistrian businesses have subsequently registered. In what is seen as a response to the new customs procedures, the Smirnov regime began a boycott of the 5+2 talks in March 2006. Although formal 5+2 talks remain stalled, President Vladimir Voronin and Transnistrian leader Igor Smirnov met in Bender on April 11, 2008, and agreed to initiate dialogue on confidence-building measures. Informal 5+2 discussions were held in Odessa, Ukraine, in April 2008 and in Moldova in July 2008 and focused on creating favorable conditions for resumption of formal talks. In September 2006, the Transnistrian regime held an "independence referendum." Despite the fact that the Smirnov regime claimed that the referendum demonstrated overwhelming support for independence, the vote was not monitored by any western organizations, and no country has recognized the referendum or the independence of Transnistria.
Principal
Government Officials
President--Vladimir Voronin
Prime Minister--Zinaida Greceanii
President of Parliament--Marian Lupu
Foreign Minister--Andrei Stratan
Ambassador to the United States--Nicolae Chirtoaca
Ambassador to the United Nations--vacant
Moldova's
embassy in the United States is at 2101 S Street NW, Washington,
DC 20008 (tel: 202-667-1130; fax 202-667-1204).
Government Type:
Republic.
Constitution: Adopted July 28, 1994.
Independence: August 27, 1991 (from Soviet Union).
Branches: Executive--president (head of state), prime minister
(head of Government), Council of Ministers (cabinet). Legislative--unicameral
Parliament. Judicial--Supreme Court.
Administrative subdivisions: 12 administrative districts
(judets).
Political parties: Communist Party, Popular Christian Democratic
Party, "Furnica" Social Democratic Party, Socialist Party, "Speranta-Nadejda"
Movement, Union of Centrists of Moldova, Work Union, "Forta Noua"
Socio-Political Movement, independent candidates.
Suffrage: Universal at 18.
