HAPPENING THIS WEEK

Greetings from Chișinău! Here is what’s happening this week: the government instituted after the June 8 toppling of an oligarchic regime, was ousted. We take a closer look at the radical political changes in the country. In this week’s feature, we analyze the new “technocratic” government-backed up by the Socialist and the Democratic Party, who claim they are not in an official parliamentary coalition. In editorials, we bring you the executive director’s commentary on political events as well as from the Moldovan diaspora in the United States. In weekly investigations, we expose the issues in large public tenders for ambulances and the fast politicization of media channels. All of that and more in this week’s newsletter. Happy reading!

THIS WEEK’S FEATURE

THE (UN)TECHNOCRATIC GOVERNMENT: The governing coalition formed in June 2019 to fight the oligarchy in the country has broken. Sixty-three deputies from the Socialist Party and the Democratic Party passed a no-confidence vote for the government led by Maia Sandu on November 12. Shortly after consulting with the parliamentary factions, President Dodon proposed Ion Chicu for the Prime Minister position, who, in one day formed a new government with a new program. ZdG analyzes the CVs and the political experience of the current so-called technocratic government and concludes that it is far from being so: several ministers have previously worked for President Igor Dodon while the rest were affiliated with the Democratic Party Government. While asking the experts about the new government, ZdG found out that on the contrary from being a technocratic government, it is politically affiliated with the socialist party.  

FROM THE EDITORS

EXECUTIVE COMMENTARY: In an interview with Hromadske International, ZdG’s Executive Director Alina Radu comments on the political situation in the country. ZdG’s Executive Director notes that the cracks in the governing coalition appeared earlier than the fight over naming a Prosecutor General. And although the Socialist Party claims that the new government is a technocratic one, many of the Ministers have close ties with the Socialists while others with the Democratic Party. The former Government led by Maia Sandu managed to oust Vladimir Plahotniuc, fugitive oligarch and former leader of the Democratic Party, but another oligarch, Igor Dodon, took his place, consolidating a new power vertical in the state and an increasing number of media sources. 

ANTI-OLIGARCHIC GOVERNMENT’S FALL: From the beginning of June it was clear that the coalition will be short-lived, as the ACUM Bloc was a formal governing partner for the Socialists, who used it to gain control over the state. After less than five months, the Socialists teamed up with the Democratic Party to dismiss the Sandu Government. To avoid early elections in the absence of a formed majority, the President formed a technocratic government. The Democratic Party, as promised a week ago by one of its prominent leaders Andrian Candu, rise out of the parliamentary opposition. ZdG’s Politics Editor Petru Grozavu argues that President Dodon wanted a formal, obedient and docile prime minister, “cooperative” in agreeing to Russia’s games and interests in Moldova and in the region. 

MOLDOVAN DIASPORA: Moldovans in the United States gathered for an annual forum in Philadelphia, at the Moldovan-American Convention. Although most of them plan on remaining in the U.S., no one has given up on Moldova, and they are closely following the situation at home. While most of them failed in finding a job or doing business in Moldova, they understood that they failed because the system didn’t want them. ZdG’s Executive Director Alina Radu argues that these people will probably keep an eye on corruption and justice in Moldova their entire lives. And they will not be passive observers. The Moldovans abroad also want a prosperous Moldova, and they will be involved with donations and with monitoring, as well as with the mobilization of the civic spirit.   

WHAT’S NEXT: After the Parliament dismissed the Government, ZdG asked the experts what will follow. Some say that the dismissal was something to expect from the moment the ACUM Bloc tried to clean up the system from corruption and reform the justice system. Others weigh in that the current political situation is particularly critical when it comes to accessing European funds, without which this state will go bankrupt. Reforming the justice system and finding an independent prosecutor proves to be the hardest challenge for a country plagued by corruption, and with politicians that have something to hide. 

THE FOREIGN BRIEF

MOLDOVA’S ELECTRICITY NETWORKS: The Government led by Maia Sandu approved the Draft Decision regarding the interconnection of electricity networks between Moldova and Romania. The €261 million project will help Moldova to connect its electricity network with Romania’s, a critically important step for the diversification of Moldova’s electricity resources. The implementation of the project will allow the creation of a transparent and competitive electricity market in Moldova and the integration in the regional market of electricity of the European Union.  

MOLDOVA-E.U. RELATIONS: After the Parliament dismissed the Government led by Maia Sandu, on November 12, several embassies including the European Union Delegation to Moldova expressed their concern regarding the continuity of the reform process in Moldova. In this context, ZdG asked three experts from Berlin how the fall of this anti-oligarchic government will affect the relations between Moldova and the European Union. The experts affirmed that the E.U. will continue its cooperation with Moldova and that the organization hopes for the current government in Moldova to continue the reform path taken by the previous one. The relations with the E.U. are of crucial importance for Moldova, as more than 65 percent of Moldova’s exports go to the E.U., moreover since July 2019, Moldova benefited from €58.89 million in grants and loans as budget support from the E.U.  

ZDG INVESTIGATES

ROGUE AMBULANCES: Moldova’s national ambulance park requires 450 units to cover the entire country. In 2018, after years of neglect, the government bought from public money 69 ambulances, followed by another 36. In the same year, the government promised to continue healing the health system and thanks to a European loan another 168 additional ambulances had to arrive in the country. However, till now the ambulances didn’t arrive and the fate of the contract is still unclear. The Anticorruption prosecutors are now investigating the correctness of the procurement procedures and of the subsequent contracts. ZdG analyzed several documents related to the ambulance case concluding that suspicious tenders have taken place with donors of the former ruling Democratic Party being business partners in the companies which won the tenders.

MEDIA POLITICIZATION: The concentration of media ownership in Moldova has increased in the last period with the Socialist party owning more and more TV channels, where the party promotes its ideas and its political views. While investigating the media climate in Moldova and taking a closer look at the recent decisions of the Audiovisual Coordinating Council, the key media oversight authority, ZdG found out that around four TV channels belong to companies or persons that have close ties with the Socialist Party. Furthermore, the Audiovisual Council facilitated the concentration of media ownership in the case of the four TV Channels in the hands of the Socialist Party through its decisions. The concentration of media ownership could lead to one ideology dominating the country with media empires trying to censure the free and independent media. 

MOLDOVA IN WORLD NEWS

E.U. VOICES CONCERN: After the Government led by Maia Sandu was ousted by the Socialists and the Democrats, the European Union along with the other diplomatic missions in the country expressed their concern about the reform path started by the pro-Western Sandu Government. Daniel McLaughlin writes for the Irish Times that the E.U. would be deeply worried about the political situation in the country and concerned about the justice reform that should continue no matter what. Der Spiegel writes that the change of government in Moldova is especially dangerous for E.U. stability at the external borders as Moldova and especially as the unrecognized Transnistrian region, in recent years presented itself as a hub of money laundering and organized crime. 

REGIME CHANGE COVERAGE: Moldova changed its regime from an anti-oligarchic government to a so-called technocratic one. BalkanInsight and Reuters attributed the government’s fall to its attempt to make justice reform in Moldova, a country known as the poorest in Europe and plagued by corruption. After the Sandu Government fell, the Socialists along with the Democrats voted a new technocratic government led by Ion Chicu, writes BalkanInsight, WashingtonPost and Die WELT, mentioning that most of the ministers of the Chicu Government including the Prime Minister himself have close ties with President Igor Dodon, with the Socialist Party or the former Democratic Party Government.   

SPOTTED THIS WEEK

ZDG – THE MOST CREDIBLE NEWSPAPER: According to a study carried out by the Center for Sociological Research and Marketing CBS-Research for the Independent Press Association, Ziarul de Gardă is the media source that enjoys the highest confidence from readers in print and a high confidence online as well. The study also revealed that people consider that there are media institutions that propagate and manipulate the citizens, attributing the worst reputation to TV channels. 

NAIROBI SUMMIT: The largest summit on reproductive rights and equal opportunities for women and girls took place in Nairobi, Kenya last week. Moldova’s delegation affirmed in the forum the country’s commitments related to reducing the phenomenon of teenage pregnancy, increasing the access of young people to health education and youth-friendly services, developing opportunities for youth participation, ensuring access for people with disabilities and other categories vulnerable to sexual and reproductive health services. 

HUMAN RIGHTS DIALOGUE: On November 13, Moldova and the European Union held the tenth round of their human rights dialogue in Chișinău. The E.U. and Moldova expressed their mutual commitment to the full respect for democratic principles, the rule of law, good governance, human rights, and fundamental freedoms.