As Moldova is about to mark its 22nd anniversary as an independent state on August 27, the news agency IPN offers a collection of features that intend to establish the achievements and failures that marked the country's course. Officials, experts, serving and retired politicans express their own vision of the steps Moldova has taken since it proclaimed independence on 27 August 1991.
Article No. 1 of the IPN series “Moldova-22. Steps forward and steps backward”, on the occasion of the Independence Day
The political development of Moldova was inertia-driven. The period from the start of the 1990s was romantic. The politician class then included mainly people of culture. After 22 years, politics became more pragmatic, based on economic and group interests, consider political analysts who were asked by IPN to characterize the political sphere over the 22 years since the declaration of Moldova’s independence.
Political analyst Igor Botan said that at the beginning, when Moldova became an independent state, the political environment was driven by inertia, without a strategy concerning the country’s future. The political forces projected Moldova’s future in a different manner. The political phenomena started to be more coherent after the European integration idea became a unifying one at the start of the 2002-2003, when the authorities decided that Moldova must follow the path to European integration.
Influence of the EU
In 2005, Parliament unanimously adopted a statement by which it declared the integration into the EU as a strategic goal. There was formulated the Moldova - EU Plan of Action. Igor Botan considers that Moldova’s political course now consists of the EU’s offer for the country to have stable and prosperous neighbors.
According to Igor Botan, Moldova had powerful politicians who marked the political sphere. Vladimir Voronin for example signed the first presidential decree on the institution of the national commission for European integration. Form the viewpoint of the analyst, Vlad Filat was another influential politician as he managed to transform the party he heads into an influential force during only three years of its foundation. This party influenced the work of the Alliance for European Integration most of all.
As regards the development of the political sphere in the future, Igor Botan considers that the most important thing now is for the Moldovan politicians not to make foolish mistakes. “Moldova’s course is anyway dictated by the interests of the great powers. The EU and the U.S. want Ukraine to come closer to the European community. On the other hand, Russia wants Ukraine to form part of the Eurasian Union. Moldova is probably doomed to follow the path chosen by Ukraine, not for ideological reasons, but because the Transnistrian dispute depends greatly no on Russia only, but also on Ukraine. If Ukraine goes towards the EU, solutions will be found in time to this conflict and for integrating Moldova into the European area. But if Ukraine goes towards Russia, Moldova’s future will be uncertain,” stated Igor Botan.
Transition stages
Political analyst Viorel Cibotaru said that 22 years ago there was a period of transfer of mentality. The people adjusted themselves. It was a process marked by dreams and expectations, when there was discovered the surrounding world and the history. The stereotypes were removed. Mistakes were made and there were misunderstandings. But it was a romantic period. Today the people are much more pragmatic and have other values. They cane employ other methods in order to achieve their goals. “Today the political class cannot be perceived as something separated from the economy,” stated the analyst.
According to Viorel Cibotaru, the political class went through several transition stages. The first was the switchover from the totalitarian Soviet regime to the authoritarian one. That period was between 1985 and 1992 and ended with the National Renaissance Movement. “Writers, journalists and people from other areas of activity than in the Soviet period entered the political class at that time. In 1994, the stage of constituting the Republic of Moldova closed with the adoption of the Constitution. Viorel Cibotaru said that a new political class formed of conservative forces that wanted to keep the old mentalities, but in a new formula appeared in Moldova in 1998.
In 2005, Moldova, experiencing different unequivocal processes and situations, started to support the European integration idea. It was decided that the country’s place was in the EU, within a new system of values. After 2005, there appeared a new generation of politicians who developed in different conditions, not in the Soviet system, and who studied abroad. The new political class had new approaches and new possibilities. It’s not fair to compare it with the class that existed during the first years of independence. “There are now different behavioral models. It’s clear what Moldova should do to reach the standards of a European country. But this political period isn’t over yet. It will most probably end in five years. 2020 is the year when Moldova will be regarded in a different way. There will be launched other integrationist projects. The country will irreversibly become a European state. It will not yet be a fully-fledged member of the EU, but will be part of the European area and will separate itself from other areas,” said the analyst.
Hopes and disappointments
Victor Juc, deputy head of the Institute of Juridical and Political Researches of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, said the declaration of independence marked the end of the National Renaissance Movement that was a romantic symbol in that period. The adoption of the Constitution narrowed the national ideals, which weren’t included in the document.
“An important political development was witnessed in 2001, when the Communist Party came to power by democratic ways. It was the first case that a Communist Party returned to the government in a post-Socialist state, owing to the failure of the reforms started by other political forces. Paradoxically, the return of the Communists led to the promotion of Moldova abroad. The country tried to ‘evade’ from the post-Soviet area by joining a number of projects and agreements. In 2002, there was signed a decree to create a commission that was to prepare Moldova for the European integration. This became a priority for the country,” stated Victor Juc.
According to him, 2009 was a crucial year in the political history. The April 7 events showed that the democratic forces want a change. A large number of people took part in the July elections, not only Moldovans from the country, but also those from abroad. This showed that preconditions were created for changing the color of the government. “The people had great expectations of the alliances that appeared later, but the accomplishments were beyond the expectations. Thus, the people were disappointed,” said the expert.
Victor Juc considers that Moldova didn’t have well-prepared political elite. “At the end of the 1980s, the political elite consisted of people of culture with democratic views, but without managerial experience. Furthermore, Moldova hadn’t had a personality that would have assumed responsibility for reforms, as in other states. The democratic, but romantic elite was replaced by the non-Communist elite. The old players returned to politics after a 10-year-pause. The democratic elite of 2009 changed nothing in the quality of the political class as it included either persons of the 1980s, like Mihai Ghimpu, persons who were in power under all the regimes, like Serafim Urecheanu, or persons from the business community like Vlad Filat,” he said.
The politics in Moldova are not very effective, while the people who come to power think only how to strengthen their positions, believes Victor Juc. The elite does not have a clear view that would generate cardinal reforms and would not be afraid to lose the next elections. “The initial politics and the current one are alike. They also looked for the country’s strategic priorities 22 years ago. Then and now they speak about good relations with Europe. It seems that the 2010-2011-2012 period repeats the 1990-1991-1992 period. Nothing changed in 20 years,” stated the expert.
Expectations of 2013
Victor Juc considers it will be a mistake to say that no results were achieved as the state institutions became more functional, the mass media was decentralized and there appeared plurality of opinions. The people became freer in their thoughts. There were made changes in 22 years, but, compared with other states, Moldova lags behind.
The expert believes that it was the foreign policy that principally determined the internal policy of Moldova. “It now seems that the reforms are implemented because the EU, not Moldova needs them. However, not the EU needs Moldova, but vice versa. We hope that more steps will be taken during the next five years and preconditions will be created for signing the Association Agreement with the EU,” said the deputy head of the Institute of Juridical and Political Researches.
Victor Juc also said that 2013 will be a fundamental one for the Moldovan political class, which is still transitory as there is no authentic democracy in the country yet. The people don’t know what direct democracy or participatory democracy is. They do not feel responsible for the administration of the affairs and the state power.
Mariana Galben, IPN.
