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Moldova
At stake: Parliament
Background
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Following the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, the territory of Bessarabia—or Eastern Moldova—declared its independence. In 1924, the area became the Moldovan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.
In 1940, the territory of Transnistria—which had been an autonomous area within Ukraine—was merged with Bessarabia to form the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic. The territory became independent in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and joined the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
Moldova remains split along ethnic lines. Transnistria's population has a high concentration of Russian and Ukrainian speakers, while two-thirds of all Eastern Moldovans are of Romanian descent. Transnistria attempted to become sovereign in the early 1990s. At least 1,500 people died after a civil war broke out. In 1992, Russian peacekeepers were deployed to secure the area. Transnistria's independence has not been acknowledged by any state.
In 1994, the Moldovan Parliament allowed the Gagauz region—which houses a Christian Turkic minority—to achieve a form of autonomy with special powers. Two years later, Petru Lucinschi—who had commanded the area's Communist Party in Soviet times—became president.
In the February 2001 parliamentary ballot, Moldova became the first former Soviet Republic to democratically elect a communist administration. The Communist Party of Moldova (PCRM) won 49.9 per cent of the vote and 71 seats. The Parliament later picked Vladimir Voronin as president.
Moldova remains one of Europe's poorest countries, and depends largely on Russia for energy supplies. Around 25 per cent of all Moldovan adults work outside the country.
Parliament Election 2005
On Dec. 24, 2004, the Parliament voted to hold a new legislative election on Mar. 6, 2005. The Central Election Commission (CEC) set Feb. 5 as the deadline for candidate registration, requesting all parties and blocs to provide résumés and an income statement for each contender. Independent candidates must also supply at least 2,000 signatures supporting their application.
The governing Communist Party of Moldova (PCRM) was the first political organization to present a list of candidates, headed by current president Vladimir Voronin.
Several opposition parties have complained about the way campaign procedures were set. On Jan. 5, Democratic Moldova Bloc (BMD) leader Serafim Urechean said that Voronin has not established the "necessary conditions for the civilized and fair unfolding of the electoral campaign."
The BMD was formed in December 2004, and includes the founding parties of the Our Moldova (MNA) alliance—the Social-Democratic Alliance of Moldova (ASDM), the Liberal Party (PL), the Independents' Alliance of Moldova (AIM) and the Democratic Peoples' Party (PPDM)—as well as other democratic, liberal and environmental groups.
The Christian-Democratic People's Party (PPCD) has adopted the colour orange for the campaign, in reference to the recent successful campaigns of Ukraine's Viktor Yushchenko and Romania's Traian Basescu.
On Feb. 21, chairman of the Russian Central Elections Commission (CEC) Alexander Veshnyakov said observers have not been invited to monitor the Moldovan ballot.
In early March, Moldova refused to allow observers from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) from monitoring the election. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has been invited. The United States State Department has expressed "concern" over biased media coverage and police harassment of opposition contenders.
On Mar. 3, Voronin warned about "foreign forces" trying to destabilize the government, saying, "We appreciate relations with Russia but we cannot be controlled like in the days of the Soviet Union."
Voting went on without any major problems on Mar. 6. Preliminary results gave the ruling Communist Party of Moldova (PCRM) 46.1 per cent of the vote, followed by the Democratic Moldova Bloc (BMD) with 28.4 per cent and the Christian-Democratic People's Party (PPCD) with 9.1 per cent. The remaining political organizations received less than six per cent of all cast ballots, and will not have any representatives in Parliament.
Turnout was tabled at 63.7 per cent. OSCE mission chief Kimmo Kiljunen declared the election had been "generally in compliance with most OSCE and Council of Europe commitments and other international election standards."
The results gave the ruling Communists 56 seats—five less than the 61 required to elect a president.
On Apr. 4, the Parliament re-elected Voronin with 75 votes. Voronin retained Vasile Tarlev as prime minister.
Political Players
President: Vladimir Voronin - PCRM
Prime minister: Vasile Tarlev - PCRM
The president is elected to a four-year term by Parliament.
Legislative Branch: The Parlamentul (Parliament) has 101 members, elected to four-year terms by proportional representation.
Results of Last Election:
Parliament - Mar. 6, 2005
Vote% | Seats | |
Communist Party of Moldova (PCRM) | 46.1% | 56 |
Democratic Moldova Bloc (BMD) | 28.4% | 35 |
Christian-Democratic People's Party (PPCD) | 9.1% | 10 |
Patria Rodina Electoral Bloc (EBPR) | 4.9% | -- |
Social-Political Movement Ravnopravie (SPRMR) | 3.8% | -- |
Social-Democratic Party of Moldova (PSDM) | 2.9% | -- |
Party of Social-Economic Justice of Moldova (PDESM) | 1.7% | -- |
Democratic-Christian Peasant's Party (PTCDM) | 1.4% | -- |
