[Info-Prim Neo article from the Series “Moldova-20! Whereto?”] [Each of the 20 years of independence in Moldova has its meaning and role in what happened in the period and, undoubtedly, in what is going to happen in the country and the people’s lives in the future. Info-Prim Neo asked politicians, analysts, experts and personalities from different areas to pronounce on the main events that took place during a certain year and assess their impact on the country.] [The year 2009 as seen by lawyer Vitalie Nagacevschi] [April 5] – There were held parliamentary elections. The PCRM won them. [April 6-7] – Tens of thousands of young people protested in Chisinau, accusing the Communist Government of vote rigging. The peaceful protests degenerated into violence. The Parliament Building and the Presidential Office were destroyed. [April 8] – There were arrested about 200 persons following the protests. Dozens of young people were maltreated at police stations. [July 29] – Early legislative elections took place. The PCRM won most of the votes, but did not obtain a majority of seats in Parliament. [August 8] – There was formed the Alliance for European Integration. [August 28] – The Liberal Party head Mihai Ghimpu was elected as Head of Parliament by the votes of the MPs of the Alliance for European Integration. The Communist MPs did not take part in the voting. [September 11] – Mihai Ghimpu became Acting President of Moldova. [Lawyer and ex-politician Vitalie Nagacevschi] considers that the most important events of 2009 took place on April 7 and afterward. “Namely those events marked the subsequent political development of Moldova. The young people, who were sincere in their aspirations, went out in order to express their indignation at the electoral frauds committed in the election campaign and the elections. The peaceful protests degenerated into riots. The Democratic parties, alarmed by the size of the riots and by the Communist authorities’ reaction, generally detached themselves from the street events taking place. Most of the young people who were arrested and tortured by the authorities were ignored,” said Vitalie Nagacevschi. According to the jurist, the April 2009 events influenced the succeeding political events, namely the non-election of the President of Moldova, holding of early elections and diminution of the score obtained by the Communist Party. ”Unfortunately, the Democratic parties did not keep their word and disappointed the voters. Instead of coming to power and removing all the illegal schemes built by the Communists, the Democrats kept them and took them over. Practically no person was penalized for the crimes committed during the Communist government. But they spoke a lot about those crimes in the election campaigns. The ruling Democratic parties, instead of reforming the state institutions so that they served the people’s interests and of implementing the democratic norms in society, started a stiff fight in order to take control over the money-yielding schemes,” said Vitalie Nagacevschi. After the April 2009 events, the Republic of Moldova had the chance to return to normality, and become a really democratic state, but it missed it ‘owing’ to the ruling Democratic parties, said Vitalie Nagacevschi. According to him, these parties had sufficient determination and will to enter into a struggle to promote the society’s interests. ”I don’t know if we will have another such a chance in the near future. I sincerely want such a chance. I think for this to happen, there should appear a party with new politicians, who would not accept the opportunists who change their political preferences overnight and who would be ready to dedicate a part of their lives for serving the society’s interests,” said Vitalie Nagacevschi. The lawyer also said that the given political developments in Moldova affected the behavior of the young people, whose main goal is now to go abroad, the behavior of the investors so that they avoid Moldova, the behavior of the national businessmen, who look for possibilities of exporting their capital to safer countries and economies. ”It seems that we will witness the massive return of the Communist Party, either as a result of early elections or after they form a formal or informal collation with one of the Democratic parties (guess which one?),” said Vitalie Nagacevschi. He stressed that the aforementioned description partly applies to the 20 years of independence as the largest part of the politicians went into politics in order to gain personal or group advantages. If it had been otherwise, Moldova would have long ago joined the European family. {Vitalie Nagacevschi is a lawyer. In 1996 – 2001, he served as Moldova’s representative on a number of committees of the Council of Europe, while in 2001 – 2009 he was chairman of the public organization Jurists for Human Rights. In 2008, he joined the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (PLDM). As a result of the 2009 early legislative elections, he entered Parliament on the Liberal-Democratic ticket. He headed the parliamentary commission of inquiry into the April 2009 events. On June 1, 2010, she renounced the seat of MP in order to work as a lawyer. In August 2010, he left the PLDM.} [Dumitrita Ciuvaga, Info-Prim Neo]