The Party of Socialists (PSRM): In 2015 Moldova experienced the most depressive period

The chairman of the Party of Socialists Igor Dodon said that 2015 is the year when the Republic of Moldova experienced the most depressive period after 1992. Then, the country witnessed a civil war that was destructive for the country. This year the ruling political class betrayed the people. The current government brought society to the limit of despair, full repulsion towards politics and loss of confidence in the state institutions and the country in general. “After almost 25 years of independence, we reached the conclusion that a part of the people no longer have confidence in the future of the Republic of Moldova. In 2015 the leu depreciated, while the prices and tariffs grew considerably. The stealing in the banking system continues. Schools and hospitals are closed, the people go abroad to work and agriculture is further destroyed. Anti-state unionism is promoted and encouraged. The level of corruption and the number of people who live below the subsistence level rose. The villages are ruined, while the country’s capital, Chisinau, is transformed into a suburb,” said the politician.

He noted that most of the political and economic events of 2015 had a negative impact. “We all witnessed a black period, which was one of the blackest periods in the recent history of the Republic of Moldova. There is only one positive aspect – the people ultimately found out the true face of the rulers and will no longer believe the promises made by politicians and parties of the right,” stated Igor Dodon, adding that, de facto, at least five large-scale political events had to take place this year: resignation of President Nicolae Timofti;  holding of early parliamentary elections; modification of the Constitution’s article concerning the method of electing the head of state so that this is chosen by direct vote; holding of a referendum on Moldova’s external course; banning by law of any movement or action that threatens the statehood and independence of the Republic of Moldova.

Furthermore, Igor Dodon considers this year Chisinau should have had a competent and responsible mayor general in the person of Missis Zinaida Grecheanyi, who would have taken the capital city out of this misery. Correct political relations should have been restored with Russia and exports to this country should have been resumed. The process of reunifying the country should have been advanced based on a realistic dialogue with Tiraspol. The salaries, pensions and scholarships should have been raised so that the people lived in decent conditions. “But I hope that these and other hopes of the Socialists will come true the next years, some of them even in 2016. Positive changes will occur only after the early parliamentary elections. That’s why we should all insist on these elections,” he concluded.

The Democratic Party (PDM): 2015 was a year of expectations that didn’t come true

Democratic MP Sergiu Sarbu said that 2015 was a year of many expectations that, regretfully, didn’t come true owing to the profound system political crisis generated by the interminable political struggles. It was a very difficult year from political viewpoint, which affected the socioeconomic development level of the country. During the past year, Moldova had five Prime Ministers, two of whom acting ones.  

“There is possibly also a positive element as we see that at least the real fight against big corruption started and we hope that this start will produce results. All the persons involved in the bank frauds will be held accountable and we hope that the stolen money will be restored,” said the MP.

Sergiu Sarbu wished this year to have been stable and decisions that would have brought Moldova closer to the European family to have been taken. Important framework laws should have been adopted, like the law on the prosecution service, and social reforms should have been done. The administrative reform should have been started and progress should have been made in doing the justice sector reform.

The Liberal Democratic Party (PLDM): 2015 was a disastrous year

Liberal-Democratic MP Grigore Cobzac said the political year 2015 was disastrous. “Two more governments had to be dismissed to realize that any alliance with the Democratic Party is like a ‘bear hug’ and all the previous alliances were obstructed from inside, by the Democrats and their satellites,” he stated. According to him, any other political construction based on the same principles will have the same fate and it will be so until the PDM takes over. Afterward, we will have to renounce many freedoms. “The press loyal to the PDM already makes effort to convince the people that ‘an iron hand’ is needed and Plahotniuc is ‘definitely’ the solution,” said Grigore Cobzac.

The politician noted that the positive aspects this year include the maintenance of the Liberal Democratic Party despite the formula ‘all against the PLDM’, and the party continues to include many good people. Good preconditions are being created for recovery. Among other positive results are the increasing popular approval ratings of Maia Sandu and Ion Sturza and the appearance of the people’s protest movement.

The negative aspects of the political year 2015 will include the renouncing by the PLDM of the announced pre-conditions, which should be maintained even in the event of early elections. “Both Maia Sandu and Ion Sturza strengthen their popularity by making interminable political comments,” said the lawmaker. Another negative aspect is the destruction of the people’s protest movement by transforming it into a political party. The decreasing number of supporters of the European course and, consequently, the worsening of the quality of governance are also negative features.

“I’m not a supporter of the theory “we wipe out everything and start from zero; an entirely new political class should come” as this is something utopian. One should not believe that if, for example, the Political Party “Dignity and Truth” comes to power, they will be immune to corruption and other social vices. The power corrupts. The process of selecting the good ones to govern society and of removing the corrupt and incompetent persons is the essence of democracy,” he stated.

Grigore Cobzac also said that this year needed a stable Government with a powerful Premier and Maia Sandu would have been the solution. Since the beginning of the mandate, all efforts should have been concentrated on the implementation of the plan of action for putting into practice the Association Agreement with the EU. Painful reforms should have been initiated at the start of the mandate and surely the public institutions should have been freed from party control. This would have meant the beginning of an efficient fight against corruption, which infected the whole society, not only the upper echelon of the power. The first such approaches made by the Strelet Government led to its dismissal by the votes of the PCRM, PDM and PSRM.

The Liberal Party (PL): 2015 was a year of missed possibilities

Valeriu Munteanu, deputy chairman of the PL, said he ascertained long ago that a geopolitical struggle is taking place in Moldova, with a decisive political struggle being given every year or half a year. “From this perspective, the year 2015 is not very different from the previous or next political years for the simple reason that we are in a continuous political struggle for keeping the development course,” he stated.

According to him, the fluctuations on the political arena generated a state of instability that is not at all favorable to sustainable development and it is evidently very difficult or practically impossible to manage prolifically the affairs in the Republic of Moldova when the government is in a continuous crisis of legitimacy, while the Cabinet acts more like an outgoing government that lacks full powers.

However, Valeriu Munteanu considers that the socioeconomic oscillations were the most negative elements this year as these have been felt by everyone. Namely the financial-banking decline, generated mainly by the large-scale thefts, made 2015 to be a year of missed possibilities and the consequences of this fact will be felt for many years on. There are few or almost no positive aspects, if only the volatilization of a number of political myths and realization of the imperative necessity of continuing Moldova’s European course.

Valeriu Munteanu said this year should have been less political and rather a year of real actions where the state institutions fulfill their duties without being disturbed by political struggles at the upper levels. In the absence of stability, it seems that the public figures, extenuated by the omnipresent degringolade, made less effort to achieve the objectives, being also demoralized by the negative socioeconomic development trends determined primarily by the exposed bank frauds.

“As all the citizens, I wanted this year to have been a year of nice accomplishments, palpable results and open horizons. Even if some of the goals were achieves, it is evident that we are yet too far from the chosen objective. I want yet to believe that by doubling efforts, next year we will manage to recover the lost ground, to take rapid steps towards implementing the Association Agreement between the Republic of Moldova and the EU and to overcome the unprecedented crisis,” said the deputy head of the PL.

Expert: The year 2015 is a lost one for society from political viewpoint

Political analyst Ion Tabarta considers 2015 is a lost year for society from political viewpoint. The expected evolution towards integration into the EU hasn’t been witnessed. The Moldovan politicians have been concerned mainly with inter-party struggles or struggles between groups rather than with the needs and worries of the people.

“The appearance of new political leaders, of a different type of culture, probably European one, is one of the positive developments. 2015 can be the year of re-formation of the current political class and its replacement with a new class of a higher quality. Among the positive developments is the return of Maia Sandu and Ion Sturza to politics and the creation of the Party “Platform Dignity and Truth”, even if there are particular objections to this party. We cannot yet speak about real reforms and solving of problems,” said Ion Tabarta.

The expert wished this year to have seen positive dynamics on the path of European integration and modernization of the country and the beginning of the implementation of the Association Agreement, with the political class being preoccupied with this document. In 2014, they could not start to immediately implement the accord owing to the electoral fever, but in 2015 the politicians have no excuse for the delay. By their behavior this year, they showed that they first of all deal with narrow group interests.

Mariana Galben, IPN