The relations between the extra-parliamentary opposition and the government should be regulated by at least one law on the opposition. The extra-parliamentary opposition is necessary and its duty is to remind the government that it came also from the opposition and will shift to it again sooner or later. The opinions were expressed in the public debates “The extra-parliamentary opposition: real alternative to the power, game of the power, political game on one’s own. The culture of political relations between the government and extra-parliamentary opposition” that were staged by Info-Prim Neo on June 7. The debates were attended by representatives of the extra-parliamentary parties and the government. The first stated that the method of communication between them is primitive. “We need responsible relations between the government, the opposition and society. The government should bear in mind that it was in the opposition not long ago and may soon return there,” said Mihai Petrache, the chairman of the Centrist Union Party. On the other hand, the head of the Liberal parliamentary group Ion Hadarca said that Moldova moved towards a more democratic framework regulating the relations between the government and the opposition. “The situation in Moldova is different from that in Moscow, where representatives of the opposition are beaten and arrested. We are even not sure what kind of opposition we have – parliamentary or extra-parliamentary,” he stated, referring to the Communist MPs who have been absent from the legislative body’s sittings for several months. He called on the opposition to become more involved in the drafting of bills, especially of the bill on the opposition. Alexandra Can, deputy chairwoman of the National Liberal Party, believes that the ruling parties make a mistake. “They should think how to persuade the extra-parliamentary opposition to support their policies. We have so many parties owing to misunderstandings. We must see what we can do together. In a developed country, only 3-4 parties take part in the elections, even if there are many parties. But the parties there are in demand,” she said. Andrei Dumbraveanu, secretary general of the Ecologist Party “Green Alliance”, said the people today are not interested in politics because they are dissatisfied with their lives. “But the politicians straggle between them as they are vainglorious. In 20 years, we had about 70 parties that changed their names 40 times, but remained with practically the same leaders. There is also opposition between opposition. We said that we are opposition against opposition. We are vainglorious and under the influence of geopolitical interests and can fall into ruin. We should be tolerant towards each other,” he stated. Daniela Bodrug, deputy head of the People’s Movement Anti-Mafia, said the expectations were high after the last legislative elections, but they weren’t met. “We expect nothing from the current government. The relations between political parties are based on political culture. In Moldova, there are several kinds of political culture: submissive, patriarchal and aimed at stealing. In 20 years, we did not manage to create democratic parties. The decisions inside the parties are taken according to leaders’ moods. Civil society did not develop during 20 years. We are a rural country where the people do not take decisions individually, but collectively,” she stated, adding that this is because the politicians did not offer the people the possibility to think democratically. Nicolae Andronic, the head of the Republican People’s Party, said the opposition either exists or not. “It cannot be constructive or destructive. The current government does not want to listen to the opposition. The problem is that we are unable to go out and talk to the people,” he said, referring to the fact that the extra-parliamentary opposition is avoided by the mass media. Expert Igor Botan, executive director of the Association for Participatory Democracy, said the extra-parliamentary parties are necessary in a political system. “For example, all the current parliamentary parties are former extra-parliamentary parties. There is no need to punish ourselves, but we must learn from others’ mistakes,” he stated. Expert Ion Tabarata, vice director of the Political Consultancy and Analysis Institute “Politicon”, stressed the necessity of the extra-parliamentary parties establishing cooperation relations. According to him, the Moldovan opposition should be institutionalized and its work should be governed by a law. The public debates “The extra-parliamentary opposition: real alternative to the power, game of the power, political game on one’s own. The culture of political relations between the government and extra-parliamentary opposition” form part of a series of similar events organized within the project “Development of Political Culture through Public Debates” that is supported by the German foundation Hanns Seidel.