Political culture in the Republic of Moldova can be described as participatory. There are legal mechanisms that enable the citizens to become involved in different processes from an early age. Currently, the young people have access to a lot of key participatory opportunities, Olga Manole, project coordinator at Promo-LEX Association, stated in a public debate staged by IPN.

Olga Manole said that these mechanisms are regulated and protected by law and allow civil society to act. “These mechanisms facilitate and encourage the involvement of young people and of marginalized groups. So, they are not only declarative. They are regulated by law,” stated the expert.

She noted that the difference between political culture in Moldova at present and several decades ago is visible. To see the evolution, one should simply look at the current generation of young people and at the generation of young people of the 1990s.

“They are fully different and we do not speak only about the participation of these young people, which is not at such a low level as it is thought. The young people are very active and are engaged in a lot of initiatives that didn’t exist even 20 years ago – local youth councils, student councils, youth organizations, forums of young people. The young people can become involved in the activities of nongovernmental organizations as volunteers or can even become employed. They become involved and cooperate with the local public administration. They become involved at the level of educational institutions,” stated Olga Manole.

She believes that civic education starts in the family, where habits of being a good citizen can be borrowed. Later, at educational institutions the young people study education for society, civic education courses and can interact at the local level with the local public administration through the agency of local youth councils.

“In the Republic of Moldova, we have sufficient nongovernmental organizations that are not only on paper, but are active and there are involvement opportunities. I see a huge difference between the young people today and the young people of my generation. They are much more competent in the political sphere. They know much more. They are interested in what is going on in the Republic of Moldova,” stated Olga Manole.

She noted that the young people always look for opportunities to become involved, but such opportunities do not always exist at the local level. “Not in all the localities, especially in villages, there are active organizations that can offer the young people the possibility of asserting themselves. They are interested and when we go to localities with different programs, and not only Promo-LEX Association, and stage public debates, any other kind of activities that allow the young people to become involved, these become involved. Not all of them, but I don’t think there are societies where everyone is active, competent and interested in politics. At least those who want this today have many opportunities, including opportunities regulated by law, to become involved and know, to better realize the political system and the developments, to take part and influence processes, including political ones, in our country compared with 20 or 30 years ago,” stated Olga Manole.

The public debate entitled “Political culture at local and European levels: contexts and examples” was the third installment of the series “Stimulation of discussion in the mass media about traditional particularities of local elections and the need for Europeanization” that is staged by IPN News Agency with support from Soros Foundation Moldova.