| 18 April...I am a Political Scientist, after all....so
even though no one asked, here is a brief lesson on modern Moldovan
government. First, let me say that politics, political parties,
and governing coalitions are quite confusing as none of the names mean
quite what you expect them to. The Communist Party, which holds the
presidency and is the current majority in the parliament, is
pro-European Union and pro-free market economics. Yes, that is
right the Communists are in favor of free market economics. They
have been the majority party in government since 2001. The Communists
used to be more pro-Russian and less oriented to
free-markets--the name of the party is of great value (especially among
older Moldovans). However, in the reelection campaign of 2005, the
Communists
made the preparing Moldova to apply for membership in the EU a primary
issue. President Voronin was reelected in the parliament by a
coalition of Communists and Christian Democrats. All of which
seems very odd, indeed.
But it makes some sense considering that both the Communists and the
Christian Democrats are somewhat conservative on social issues and both
supported increasing the salaries of teachers and pensioners. The
opposition is called Moldova Noastra, which means "Our Moldova" and is a
collection of smaller parties organized around opposition to the
Communist government. The Moldova Noastra alliance is also firmly
in favor of EU integration (though some accuse the Communists of
stealing the position from them). The alliance along with the
Democratic Party of Moldova can be more liberal on social issues
than the Communists and Christian Democrats.
One fortunate outcome of recent political realignments in
Moldova is that political parties are less organized along language lines than
they were in the past. The major divide between the parties
and their supporters tends to be generational with older Moldovans
supporting the Communists and Christian Democrats and younger people
supporting the opposition parties. The main frustration
with the current Communist government is that it is perceived to be
corrupt with bribery and nepotism allegations rampant. Were Moldovans living abroad able to easily participate in elections here,
the current government would face greater difficulty holding onto power,
since it is estimated that more than one third of Moldovans aged 25-50 are working
abroad.
The Moldovan Parliament is unicameral with 101 deputies elected for
4-year terms. Elections are proportional--meaning that a voter votes for
a party and not a candidate (the parties offer lists of
candidates that will serve of the party gets enough votes). One of the seats
in the parliament is reserved for the leader of the Gauguazian
Autonomous region of Moldova. The parliament chooses the President
and the President appoints a Prime Minister (with the consent of the
parliament).
One amusing bit are the official motorcades that zoom up
Boulevard Stefan Cel Mare (the main drag). First, a police car
will drive down blaring a loud speaker informing all the cars to make way. Then, several more police cars
come followed by several black cars with darkened windows (usually BMWs or
Mercedes). Sometimes, there will be a bus...one time I swore I saw a Marshutkya
as a part of the procession...then there will be another police car and
everyone is able to return to their normal business. Positions of
authority bring some privileges...even in Moldova |
|
President Vladimir Voronin, of the Communist Party, is serving his
second term in office.
This statue of Lenin used to stand where Stefan cel Mare is today...a
similar statue is in the courtyard of the Communist Party Headquarters.
 Schematic
diagram of the current makeup of the Moldovan Parliament.
A rally on the steps of the Opera House for Moldova Noastra--a
collection of parties that forms the opposition to the government here.
|
