Republic of Moldova
The Republic of Moldova, located in Eastern Europe, performs in the middle range across all categories in the Global State of Democracy framework. It is amongst the top 25 per cent in the world in terms of its performance in Effective Parliament, Political and Social Group Equality, and Gender Equality. Over the past five years, it has experience notable advances in multiple factors of Representation (Credible Elections, Effective Parliament), Rights (Freedom of Expression, Freedom of the Press, Gender Equality), and Rule of Law (Absence of Corruption, Predictable Enforcement and Personal Integrity and Security). It has not experienced any significant declines in that time period. Moldova is a lower-middle-income country and is among the poorest in Europe, although growth rates have been strong since the early 2000s. The main sectors include agriculture, food processing, natural resources, and services. The Moldovan economy is also the most reliant on remittances in all of Europe.
In the three decades since its independence from the Soviet Union (in 1991), the country has undergone a slow transition to democracy. Moldova has struggled especially with issues of corruption, abuse of power, and state capture. From 2013 to 2019, the country was under the effective control of oligarch Vlad Plahotniuc, who used state power to siphon off $1 billion from Moldova’s three largest banks. As corruption became a significant roadblock hindering economic growth, it also became one of the most dominant issues in the country’s politics. In successive elections in 2020 and 2021, Moldovans voted in strong numbers to elect pro-European Union (EU), anti-corruption reformers.
Moldova is an ethnically diverse state with clear divides between pro-EU and pro-Russia sentiments. The separatist enclave of Transnistria is composed primarily of Russian speakers who favour close ties to Moscow, and pro-Russian sentiment is also widespread in the autonomous territory of Gagauzia. While ethnic Moldovans account for over 75 per cent of the population, there is significant disagreement as to whether their language and identity should be called Moldovan or Romanian. Historically, Moldova was part of Romania, and even today many Moldovans hold dual nationality. Large numbers of Moldovans favour reunification with Romania, and this number has grown in recent years.
GSoD Indices show that Moldova has made steady progress on gender equality in a timespan of two decades as well as more recently over the last five years. This may be attributed to the adoption of a series of laws and policies including on the prohibition of discrimination and women’s political empowerment. Yet gender equality remains challenged by violence against women, and inequality in health, employment, and unpaid care responsibilities.
Moldova is a country in transition, but its recent progress is notable. Given the governing party’s declared commitment to the rule of law and anti-corruption reforms, it will be important to watch potential continued growth in Representation, Rule of Law and Rights. In 2022, Moldova gained EU candidate status, although the road to membership is expected to be long. It will be important to watch how the Russian war of aggression impacts Moldova, especially as it has already enflamed tensions with Transnistria and has impacted basic welfare. Furthermore, high emigration rates and poor infrastructure hamper economic growth, in turn making the work of combatting graft and corruption more difficult.
Monthly Event Reports
January 2024 | State of emergency ends but some powers remain
Moldova’s government let the state of emergency that had been instituted at the onset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine lapse on 31 December 2023, after passing legislation that transferred some emergency powers to regular governments. These powers include more authority to directly manage Moldova’s energy sector and food supply, as well as allowing the government to suspend media broadcasting licenses without a court order to prevent the spread of propaganda. Domestic civil society criticized this last provision, made public only on 29 December 2023, as “a profound interference with the right to free expression” and said the lack of transparency and public inclusion in the process conflicts with Moldovan laws on public participation.
December 2023 | Investigation reveals widespread campaign finance fraud
A campaign finance investigation by Moldovan media outlet TV8 found that Chisinau mayor Ion Ceban’s National Alternative Movement (MAN) Party and the Ilan Shor-linked Renaissance Party both systematically used “straw donors” to fund their 2023 local election campaigns. While campaign finance fraud is historically common in Moldova and has rarely been successfully prosecuted, TV8’s detailed reporting is novel. In both cases, official records showed private individuals making almost exclusively cash donations. In MAN’s case, the donations were often on the same day and in the same amount by large groups of employees working at the same state institution, and in Renaissance’s case, by students and pensioners. Individuals interviewed by TV8 journalists either denied making any contribution at all, incorrectly recalled the details of their donation, or refused to speak to the journalists. The investigation found no similar activity by the ruling PAS or Socialists. It is unclear if prosecutors plan to follow up on TV8’s investigation.
November 2023 | EU agrees to launch accession negotiations
The European Commission recommended that the European Union open accession negotiations with Moldova on 8 November, and the members of the European Council unanimously agreed on 14 December. The move is symbolic and was celebrated by both Moldovan and European political leaders, but it is not a guarantee of future membership. As a condition for future membership, the EU says Moldova must commit to a wide range of reforms, including to the criminal justice and financial sectors as well as improvements in the rule of law.
July 2023 | Ministers replaced after airport shooting
Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean replaced the ministers of Interior, Education, and Development on 14 July. The ministers had resigned following a deadly gun attack at Chisinau Airport on 30 June, where a Tajik citizen killed two officers after being denied entry to Moldova. The resignation of Interior Minister, Ana Revenco, had been demanded by parliamentary opposition. However, the relation of the portfolios of ministers of Science and Education, and Infrastructure and Regional Development was not made publicly clear by the government.
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GSoD Indices Data 2013-2022
Basic Information
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Global State of Democracy Indices
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Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time
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