On May 23 Moldova celebrated 30 years since the creation of the Republic of Moldova and its first Parliament. In 1991, on May 23, almost a year after the proclamation of Sovereignty, the Supreme Soviet of the Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic (MSSR) decided to rename the MSSR in the Republic of Moldova and to change the name of the Supreme Soviet in that of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova. A year later, Moldova proclaimed its Independence. “During these years, the Parliament has become the bastion that must defend the legality of the state and the rights of citizens” – said during an event Zinaida Greceanîi, the current head of the Legislative.

30 YEARS OF PARLIAMENTARIANISM: WHOSE BASTION IS THE PARLIAMENT?

MIHAIL DÎRUL, MOLDOVAN CITIZEN In 30 years, we have been fortunate only with the first Parliament. The deputies of the first Parliament were true heroes. They fought, they were not involved in corruption schemes and bribery, they have not sold themselves multiple times to other political parties. After the Agrarian Party came, the Parliament turned into a kolkhoz. Thievery, villainy, betrayal. What we have today is not a Parliament, it’s a gang. They disregard the law and people. They steal billions of dollars. Socialists, communists – they are all the same. Today they sell each other, mock each other, but when in danger, they group together. If people do not understand this, the early elections are useless.

ALECU RENIȚĂ, “PARLIAMENT-1990” ASSOCIATION The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Then the first Parliament began in the most responsible way to demolish the inherited authoritarian institutions, opening a real perspective to establish and develop democracy in Moldova. All that was achieved until 1994. Since 1994, the Parliament no longer belonged to the people, but to the criminal groups that looted Moldova in any possible way. Any impartial study would show that from 1994 until now Parliament has not become a bastion of democracy and rule of law, but a bastion of mafia clans that offers immunity to corrupt individuals like Dodon and bandits like Shor. After more than a quarter of a century, I hope that the voters will clean up Parliament and turn it into an institution that belongs to the citizens and that ensures their prosperity and rights.

SILVIA ȘTIRBEȚ, MAYOR OF VĂLENI VILLAGE, SOUTHERN MOLDOVA Parliament is a bastion, not for the law or the citizen, but for thieves, scams, and abuses. I have been a mayor for 14 years and during this time I have appealed to all governments and parliaments to put an end to the destruction of the Beleu Nature Reserve, a natural pearl on the Prut river, but to no avail. It is because the Valiexchimp company, with which we fight as they extract oil in
the Prut meadow, has more money than the City Hall can have. We need a different Parliament and in the July-11 elections let’s not vote for the parties that lied to us.

ARCADIE SUCEVEANU, WRITERS’ UNION REPRESENTATIVE The first Parliament remains a beautiful picture of the great hopes and aspirations of the early 1990s. It was a fighting Parliament. I remember with nostalgia great persons and voices, over 20 writers, people from the academic world, culture, church, education. They were the exceptional intellectuals of those years who built this state from scratch, a state meant to defend the interests of the people. Things, however, took another turn with the coming of the agro-communists to power. In 1994, Moldova ended up in bad hands, foreign to the aspiration of this nation. It turned out that in 2009, the Declaration of Independence was set on fire, which was practically an attack on the existence of Moldova. It was when Voronin was president, Greceanîi – head of government, and Dodon – deputy prime minister. We know how things have evolved: from bad to worse. On July 11, we have elections. We have to start over. Parliament must be reborn