Training is no longer a priority of parties. There is a visible tendency that the recreational element triumphs over the educative one within political parties in the Republic of Moldova, political pundit Cornel Ciurea stated in a public debate hosted by IPN.

“The training line has declined. All the party activities of the recent past have been based primarily on the recreational, entertaining element that prevails over the educative element. It wasn’t so earlier. Possibly the PAS applied training at the first stage. I don’t know about the current situation. I know that they staged particular lessons, seminars with the assistance of civil society, but emphasis there was placed on an ideological issue. We should therefore not be shocked when we have mayors with sexist approaches as gender equality is an ideological element. This is ok within a particular type of political culture, but is not ok within another type of political culture. When a candidate for mayor addresses citizens with patriarchal political culture, he cannot say that the woman is the best one. He will say that the man is the best one and this is normal within the patriarchal political culture that still prevails in the Republic of Moldova,” stated Cornel Ciurea.

According to him, civil culture or participatory culture is essential for democratic systems. Some consider that the political culture in Moldovan society is participatory. Others see a patriarchal political culture, especially at the local level. It is now hard to define the political culture typical of Moldovan society as the citizens often distance themselves from the model promoted by political elites.

“The elites want a pro-European, pro-Western, participatory culture and many other issues: gender equality, favoring of minorities and so on. The elites favor this, but society has other views and approaches and opposes. And we then witness this game. The citizen is pro-European too as the projects produce particular results and the citizen expresses particular interest in Europeanism but simultaneously rejects a number of things. So, we have very interesting citizens,” noted Cornel Ciurea.

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