Extra-parliamentary parties evaluate accomplishments and failures of acting parliament

While extra-parliamentary opposition parties fear that the social-political situation in Moldova has worsened with one year after the March 6, 2005 elections, others consider that the acting government has registered some accomplishments in the period concerned. Info-Prim Neo has interviewed political leaders on occasion of one year after the parliamentary elections. A leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Eduard Musuc, described the situation in Moldova „as bad”. The triumphal statements do not correspond to the reality. We are much behind as regards the independence of justice and mass media, human rights and many others. We do not have concrete results with one year after the signing of the European Union’s Action Plan for Moldova, and many western officials have remarked this fact. The implementation of the Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper was also compromised. The settlement of the Transnistrian conflict has entered an impasse. In spite of these clear failures and losses, the government tells us tales via controlled mass media. The government has installed a quasi-democratic regime in which the opposition either provides support (the so-called „consensus”), or demonstrates a complete ignorance. Several NGOs affiliated to the power plays the role of civil society in this show. The population leaves the country in continuation, Musuc added. Speaking about essential pluses and minuses of the governance and opposition in the year following the parliamentary elections, Musuc indicated some accomplishments related to the reformation of legislative framework, though most of them were cosmetic. As regards the accomplishments on foreign arena, he indicated the improvement of relations with Romania. The lack of concrete results in almost all areas, except for the permanent polishing of the internal image, is a failure. The irremediable deterioration of relations with Russia and the compromising of relations with the European Union and United States through statements of officials are failures on the foreign arena. Musuc does not observe any positive trends of the parliamentary opposition, while the extra-parliamentary opposition tends to a general re-configuration of the political spectre and change of generations of political leaders. According to Musuc, the loss of trust in politicians and the full disappointment with politics were the most serious losses for Moldovan population. The local elections in Chisinau, when people did not attend want to cast their ballots, represented the most relevant demonstration in this regard. The acting legislative is made up of the governing, „constructive opposition” – an annex of the governance and decorative opposition – without any impact on legislative process. Or, all three components have demonstrated the same thing: the electoral promises are nothing. I hope that the society has learned many things from these elections and will make the necessary conclusions at the next elections, Musuc concluded. Veronica Abramciuc, chairwoman of the Moldovan Party of Socialists Patria-Rodina, considers that the March 6, 2005 parliamentary elections were not free and fair compared to the February 25, 2001 elections and that is the explanation of the permanent impression of illegality of the acting government in the Moldovan society. The social-political situation is apparently stable. At the same time, there are grounds to assess a deep social-political crisis because the pressing problems of the state and population are not solved, including the problem of territorial integrity of the republic, of unemployment, complete injustice, and others. The trust of population in the government is on the decline, Abramciuc noted. She indicated the following key political events registered last parliamentary year: 1) creation of the „monstrous coalition” on April 4, 2005; 2) promotion of the unexpected and unbalanced external policy (focus on relations with the U.S., E.U. and NATO, counterproductive relations with the economic strategic partner Russia, and others); 3) continuation of the aggressive and repressive policy on political opponents, lack of an internal and open political dialogue inside the country; 4) use of administrative resources and public and private mass media in favour of the acting government, lack (except for electoral campaigns) of free access of registered political parties to mass media. Abramciuc considers that the parliament did not restore the activity of legislature in line with the constitutional principles on parliamentary republic. In reality, Moldova continues to remain a presidential republic. As a result, the acting parliament is far from vital problems of the Moldovan state. There is a weak stance for the Moldovan leadership in legislature, but a real parliamentary political opposition does not exist. The parliament focussed on current problems signalled by bureaucratic class in Moldova within what she describes as „capitalist system of nomenclature.” It does not act in favour of own people, which survives alone. On the other hand, Ion Curtean co-chairman of the Moldovan Republic Party considers that the acting government does its best to fulfil its pre-electoral programme, in spite of all difficulties. Curtean mentioned the rise of the internal gross volume in national economy, fulfilment of promises to increase salaries by 40 percent for budgetary employees, opening of new jobs and poverty reduction among accomplishments of the government. He named the sudden rise of prices of food products and first-need goods, higher tariffs of heating and public services. Curtean considers that the acting legislature must solve the „pressing problems” such as the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict and integration in the E.U. Three political parties succeeded to the parliament after the March 6 elections: the Party of Communists garnered 56 mandates, Democratic Moldova Bloc - 34 mandates and the Christian Democratic People’s Party is represented by 11 lawmakers. Some groups of lawmakers have withdrawn from BMD meanwhile, creating the Democratic Party or becoming independent. Also, a lawmaker has left the PPCD faction.