Even if the country’s development course declared by the current government centered on the switchover from consumption-based policies to policies based on economic development, the social priorities continued to account for a significant part of the electoral promises. Social policy expert Viorica Toarta said the implementation of the electoral promises of a social character is difficult and costly, but the politicians continue to make them because they are popular with the voters.
The electoral promises made in the campaign that preceded the 2010 legislative elections were analyzed within a project launched by the Association for Participatory Democracy (ADEPT), while the detailed study is available on promis.md.
In-a news conference at IPN, Viorica Toarta said that almost 1/3 of the electoral promises made in 2010 were fulfilled excellently or in a good way, while the others were not delivered. However, a series of other important reforms were implemented in the social sphere and this progress should be noted.
The expert underlined that even if the politicians promised to raise the pension to 1,300 or even 1,500 lei so as to cover the minimum subsidence level, the average pension in Moldova represents only 80% of the minimum subsistence level for pensioners. But positive results were achieved in standardizing the method of calculating pensions. The basis for calculating the pensions of ministers and MP was reduced from 75% of all the insured monthly payments to 42%. Also, the length of service after which a pension is received was increased.
Another accomplishment is the regulation of the minimum social guarantees for migrant workers, Moldova having already ten bilateral social security agreements with other countries. The national network of social workers was strengthened. At the start of 2014, it included about 1,400 specialists.
The reform of the residential childcare system is also considered an accomplishment. By the end of 2011, the number of residential institutions was reduced from 68 to 55, while the number of children in these institutions fell by 54%. Progress was also made in deinstitutionalizing the people with disabilities. In 2010–2014, there were created a number of social services aimed at ensuring the deinstitutionalization and integration of these persons into the families and community. The creation of community alternatives led to a 40% decline in the demand for institutionalization, compared with 2010
Among the unfulfilled electoral promises is the promise to increase the child benefit to 7,500 lei at the birth of the first child and to 10,000 lei at the birth of every next child. Viorica Toarta said that the lump sums paid at the birth of a child are increased annually, but they cannot cover the costs incurred for raising a child. In 2014, this benefit was 3,100 lei at the birth of the first child and 3,400 lei at the birth of every next child.
The monthly childcare allowance also wasn’t increased to the promised level of minimum 1,300 lei. This allowance is now 400 lei for uninsured persons and 30% of the monthly income for the last 12 months before the birth of the child for insured persons. The promises to annul the state tax on the registration of the first marriage and to provide a lump sum of 5,000 lei to the young married couples weren’t fulfilled either.
ADEPT executive director Igor Botan recommended the politicians to take such analyses into account so as to understand that it is one thing to promise something and it is another thing to start doing what you promised.
