Politics of Moldova

Politics of Moldova Politica Republicii Moldova
Coat of arms of Moldova
Polity type	Unitary parliamentary republic
Constitution	Constitution of Moldova
Legislative branch
Name	Parliament
Type	Unicameral
Presiding officer	Igor Grosu, President of the Parliament
Executive branch
Head of state
Title	President
Currently	Maia Sandu
Appointer	Direct vote
Head of government
Title	Prime Minister
Currently	Dorin Recean
Appointer	Parliament
Cabinet
Name	Cabinet of Moldova
Current cabinet	Gavrilița Cabinet
Leader	Prime Minister
Appointer	President
Headquarters	Government House, Chișinău
Ministries	13
Judicial branch
Name	Judiciary
Constitutional Court
Chief judge	Domnica Manole
Seat	Chișinău

The politics of Moldova take place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, wherein the prime minister is the head of the Government of Moldova, and a multi-party system. The President of Moldova has no important powers. The government exercises executive power while the legislative power is vested in the Parliament. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The position of the breakaway region of Transnistria (a self-proclaimed autonomous region, on the left side of the river Nistru), relations with Romania and with Russia, and integration into the EU dominate political discussions.

Scholars have characterized Moldova as an unstable democracy with systemic corruption and a deep cleavage regarding national identity. The Economist Intelligence Unit rated Moldova a "flawed democracy" in 2022.

Legislative branch

File:18.03.2021 Ședința plenară a Parlamentului (51048601346).jpg

Parliament of the Republic of Moldova in Chișinău.

The Moldovan Parliament (Romanian: Parlamentul) has 101 members, elected for a four-year term by proportional representation.

The seat of the legislature is known simply as the Parliament Building.

Parliamentary election results

Main article: 2021 Moldovan parliamentary election

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Party of Action and Solidarity	774,753	52.80	63	+48
	Bloc of Communists and Socialists	398,675	27.17	32	−3
	Șor Party	84,187	5.74	6	−1
	Electoral Bloc "Renato Usatîi"	60,100	4.10	0	0
	Dignity and Truth Platform	34,184	2.33	0	−11
	Democratic Party of Moldova	26,545	1.81	0	−30
	Democracy at Home Party	21,255	1.45	0	0
	We Build Europe at Home Party	18,781	1.28	0	New
	Common Action Political Party — Civil Congress	11,269	0.77	0	New
	Alliance for the Union of Romanians	7,216	0.49	0	New
	National Unity Party	6,646	0.45	0	New
	Party of Development and Consolidation	6,315	0.43	0	New
	Hope Professionals' Movement Party	2,814	0.19	0	0
	Party of Change	2,452	0.17	0	New
	People's Power Party	1,613	0.11	0	New
	Working People's Party	1,467	0.10	0	New
	Party of Law and Justice	1,444	0.10	0	New
	New Historical Option	1,431	0.10	0	New
	Party of Regions of Moldova	1,264	0.09	0	0
	Ecologist Green Party	1,202	0.08	0	0
	Patriots of Moldova	892	0.06	0	New
	New Party	197	0.01	0	New
	Independents	2,514	0.17	0	−3
Total		1,467,216	100.00	101	0
Valid votes		1,467,216	99.07
Invalid/blank votes		13,749	0.93
Total votes		1,480,965	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		3,052,603	48.51
Source: CEC, PACE

Executive branch

Government House, Chișinău (2009)

Main article: Cabinet of Moldova

The president is elected by popular vote 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. The cabinet meets at the Government House on Stephen the Great Boulevard in Central Chișinău.

Ministries

The ministries of the Cabinet of Moldova are:

Gavrilița Cabinet
Cabinet of Moldova
August 2021–February 2023
Prime minister Natalia Gavrilița
Date formed	6 August 2021 (2021-08-06)
Date dissolved	16 February 2023
People and organisations
President	Maia Sandu
Head of government	Natalia Gavrilița
Deputy head of government	Andrei Spînu Nicu Popescu Vladislav Kulminski Oleg Serebrian Iurie Țurcanu
No. of ministers	13
Ministers removed	5
Total no. of members	17
Member parties	PAS Independent
Status in legislature	Majority government 63 / 101 (62%)
Opposition parties	BCS Șor
Opposition leaders	Vlad Batrîncea Vladimir Voronin Ilan Shor
History
Election	2021
Predecessor	Chicu Cabinet
Successor	Recean Cabinet

The Gavrilița Cabinet (pronunciation: [ɡavriˈlitsa]) was the Cabinet of Moldova, led by former Finance Minister Natalia Gavrilița from 6 August 2021 until 16 February 2023.

Gavrilița was previously proposed as prime minister by Maia Sandu in February 2021, but was rejected by the PSRM-Șor parliamentary majority. Gavrilița resigned along with the cabinet on 10 February 2023. She cited a lack of support for enacting reforms she had proposed in her resignation news conference.

History

During the vote, the government received the support of 61 members of Moldovan parliament. The ruling Party of Action and Solidarity won mandates during early parliamentary elections in 2021. Gavrilița's appointment marked the end of the six-month absence of government in the country after the previous government resigned in December 2020.

Natalia Gavrilița became the third woman in the post of Prime Minister of Moldova (after Maia Sandu, Zinaida Greceanîi, excluding acting Natalia Gherman). After her nomination by President Sandu, the entire executive branch in the republic became headed by women. As of 6 August 2021, the similar situation has happened only in Estonia, with the current president Kersti Kaljulaid and prime minister Kaja Kallas.

See also: List of elected and appointed female heads of state and government

In total, three women became ministers. The head of Gagauzia, Irina Vlah, who was elected in a separate vote in 2015, also participates in the work of the cabinet.

Composition

The new cabinet has 13 ministries, instead of nine as in recent years. The Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure became separate agencies. Furthermore, the Ministry of Environment was recreated.

Nicu Popescu returned to the government as Minister of Foreign Affairs, after working in the Sandu Cabinet. The Minister of Health Ala Nemerenco also returned to the government after working with Maia Sandu.

The Başkan (Governor) of Gagauzia is elected by universal, equal, direct, secret and free suffrage on an alternative basis for a term of 4 years. One and the same person can be a governor for no more than two consecutive terms. The Başkan of Gagauzia is confirmed as a member of the Moldovan government by a decree of the President of Moldova.

Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministers in the Gavrilița cabinet

Title	Minister		Term of office		Party
	Image	Name	Start	End
Prime Minister		Natalia Gavrilița	6 August 2021	16 February 2023		PAS
Deputy Prime Minister		Nicu Popescu	6 August 2021	29 January 2024		Independent
Deputy Prime Minister		Andrei Spînu	6 August 2021	16 February 2023		PAS
Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration		Vladislav Kulminski	6 August 2021	5 November 2021		Independent
		Oleg Serebrian	19 January 2022	Incumbent
Deputy Prime Minister for Digitalization		Iurie Țurcanu	6 August 2021	16 February 2023		Independent

Ministers in the Gavrilița cabinet

Title	Minister		Term of office		Party
	Image	Name	Start	End
Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry		Viorel Gherciu	6 August 2021	8 July 2022		Independent
		Vladimir Bolea	8 July 2022	Incumbent		PAS
Minister of Culture		Sergiu Prodan	6 August 2021	Incumbent		Independent
Minister of Defense		Anatolie Nosatîi	6 August 2021	Incumbent		Independent
Minister of Economy		Sergiu Gaibu	6 August 2021	16 November 2022		Independent
		Dumitru Alaiba	16 November 2022	16 February 2023		PAS
Minister of Education and Research		Anatolie Topală	6 August 2021	14 July 2023		Independent
Minister of Environment		Iuliana Cantaragiu	6 August 2021	8 September 2022		PAS
		Vladimir Bolea (acting)	7 October 2022	16 November 2022
		Rodica Iordanov	16 November 2022	13 March 2024		Independent
Minister of Finance		Dumitru Budianschi	6 August 2021	16 February 2023		PAS
Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration		Nicu Popescu	6 August 2021	29 January 2024		Independent
Minister of Health		Ala Nemerenco	6 August 2021	Incumbent		Independent
Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development		Andrei Spînu	6 August 2021	16 February 2023		PAS
Minister of Internal Affairs		Ana Revenco	6 August 2021	14 July 2023		Independent
Minister of Justice		Sergiu Litvinenco	6 August 2021	16 February 2023		PAS
Minister of Labour and Social Protection		Marcel Spatari	6 August 2021	9 January 2023		Independent
		Alexei Buzu	9 January 2023	Incumbent
Governor of Gagauzia		Irina Vlah	15 April 2015	19 July 2023		Independent

External links

• Cabinet of Ministers

Administrative divisions

Main article: Subdivisions of Moldova

Moldova is divided into 32 raions, or raioane, three municipalities (Chișinău, Bălți, and Bender), one autonomous region (Gagauzia), and the breakaway region of Transnistria, the status of which is disputed.

Issues

Ethnic identity and unification with Romania

The underlying issue in the Republic of Moldova revolves around ethnicity and whether the country should re-unite with Romania, with which it shares a common ethnicity, language, culture and history. The Republic of Moldova represents roughly the eastern half of what is historically known as the Principality of Moldova. As a result of the Treaty of Bucharest (1812), ending the Russo-Turkish War of 1806, it was separated from the western part of the principality along the Prut river and annexed by the Russian Empire, which named it Bessarabia (Basarabia). The western half of the former Principality of Moldova, which was not annexed by Russia, united with Wallachia (Țara Românească) in 1859 to form the basis for modern day Romania. The eastern half united with Romania in 1918, but was re-annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940 as a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.

Russian and Soviet-era identity politics focused on Russification in the colonial sense as well as on stressing artificial differences between the Moldovans and the Romanians in an attempt to create a uniquely "Moldovan" identity, including indoctrination against Romania and Romanians. As a result, Moldovan ethnic identity is complicated and divided between those who consider themselves Moldovan and those who consider themselves Romanian. Although Moldovans comprise a sizeable ethnic majority of the population, they are fragmented in terms of degree of Russification and cultural indoctrination. The more pro-Russian the Moldovan, the more likely it is that s/he will call his/her language and ethnicity Moldovan rather than Romanian. Today, Moldova is effectively bilingual, with a Romanian-speaking majority and a sizable and influential, multiethnic, Russian-speaking minority, and with the Russian language still dominating the media. The Russophile population is generally hostile to the idea of unification with Romania and typically votes for left-wing parties. The Moldovan majority is divided between pro-Russian nostalgia and growing pro-Romanian and pro-EU sympathies, with a growing number of people supporting the idea of re-unification with Romania, especially among the youth.

Moldovas's pro-Western and pro-Russian factions became increasingly divided since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.

Transnistria

Transnistrian region of Moldova

Main article: Transnistria

Transnistria is a strip of land running along Moldova's eastern border with Ukraine, named after the Dniester river. The Transnistrian region is majority Slavic (Ukrainian and Russian) and Russian-speaking, in contrast with the rest of the country, and it was heavily industrialized during USSR rule. The Moldovan Declaration of Independence claims continuity of Moldovan sovereignty over the territory of Transnistria as it is "a component part of the historical and ethnic territory of our people". However, the Moldovan Declaration of Independence is itself used as an argument against Moldovan sovereignty over Transnistria as it denounces the Ribbentrop-Molotov agreement of 23 August 1939 between the government of the Soviet Union and the government of Nazi Germany "null and void" being the only formal union between the two territories.

After failing to establish control over the breakaway region in the War of Transnistria, Moldova offered a broad cultural and political autonomy to the region. The dispute has strained Moldova's relations with Russia. The July 1992 ceasefire agreement established a tripartite peacekeeping force composed of Moldovan, Russian, and Transnistrian units. Negotiations to resolve the conflict continue, and the ceasefire is still in effect. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is trying to facilitate a negotiated settlement and has had an observer mission in place for several years.

The country remains divided, with the Transnistrian region controlled by separatist forces, supported de facto by a contingency of Russian troops posing as a peacekeeping mission.

Human trafficking

Due to the high rate of poverty, Moldova remains a large source-country of illegal sex workers that are exported to Western Europe, Russia and the Middle East. Because of pervasive corruption and a general lack of awareness, many victims of human trafficking are lured into the business with offers of high-salary jobs abroad, and are often trapped once out of the country. The US government urged Moldova to pass an anti-trafficking law in 2005, but due to a lack of enforcement, low regard of legal institutions, and unequal benchmark requirements, clear progress is difficult to ascertain. Organizations such as the International Organization for Migration provide non-governmental support integral to helping victims. However, NGOs are often subject to domestic constraints and government interference in their work, complicating their operations.

Other issues

There is disagreement as to whether elections and politics in Moldova are 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. Other critics have also referred to the Communist Party government as being authoritarian. Nevertheless, then-U.S. President George W. Bush stated that: "We note and welcome Moldova's positive record since independence in conducting free and fair elections and in implementing democratic reforms."

There were also reports of politically motivated arrests and arrests without valid legal grounds in 2005. Such arrests were allegedly carried out against opponents of the Communist Party government of President Vladimir Voronin. In one case which was criticized by various Western organizations and individuals, opposition politician Valeriu Pasat was sentenced to ten years imprisonment on dubious grounds.

Moldova joined the World Trade Organization and the Southeast European Stability Pact in 2001. Of primary importance have been the Moldovan 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 was critical, because large government debts that were due in 2002 had to be rescheduled. The government has made concerted efforts to find ways to pay for Moldova's energy supplies.

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.