Some experts consider quasi-total fear is established among the population of Moldova, while others believe everyone can freely state their viewpoint and the situation hasn’t evidently worsened. IPN asked analysts to pronounce following the reported rise in the number of people who fear to freely say what they think about the senior administration.

The monopolization of the press, especially the electronic one, is one of the causes that prevents the people from freely expressing their viewpoints on governance, considers Igor Botan. “When monopolization occurs, the people feel this. They understand that the news items and viewpoints are shaped to suit the media holding chiefs,” stated the political analyst. According to him, there are two media holdings in Moldova – one that belongs to the leader of the Democratic Party Vlad Plahotniuc and another one whose foundations were laid by Igor Dodon.

Political analyst Corneliu Ciurea doesn’t think the situation has worsened noticeably as each person can state their opinion. The view on the situation of the mass media is related to the criticism leveled by the opposition at the government and the people form an opinion that gives the impression that the situation is worsening.

Politologist Bogdan Tardea said a kind of Sultan oligarchy was established in Moldova. “In 2005-2013, Moldova witnessed competitive oligarchy, but after 2013 there appeared Sultan oligarchy where one oligarch manages to subdue the others and to monopolize the state institution and the largest part of the mass media,” he stated. He also said that by strengthening the repressive apparatus, the Democratic Party manages to impose a power vertical, from the central power to the local one, and quasi-total fear is established in Moldova, both at the level of the political elite and among the population.

The politologist noted that two poles of power appeared as a result of the last elections: the presidential administration and the parliamentary alliance. As the presidential administration is not controlled by the executive, it has some oases of freedom.

According to the Public Opinion Barometer of October 2016, those who do not feel free or feel slightly free to say what they think about the country’s administration rose to 55%. The survey “Year 2016 in the opinion of Moldova population” showed over 44% of those polled consider last year the people feared to state their opinions much more than a year before.

The Freedom House report for 2016 ranked Moldova as partly free, with a descendent trend.