Oligarchy and parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova in 2019

Abstract

Parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova were held on 24 February 2019. According to domestic and international observers, the election results did not reflect the real preferences of Moldovan voters. This assessment was a result of numerous violations (such as buying votes and abusing administrative resources) and political manipulation made by Moldovan oligarchs and political parties, subordinated to the oligarchs. In this situation, establishing a majority government was impossible, leading to a temporary period of dual power. The political deadlock was finally broken by the unanimous efforts of the Russian Federation, the United States and the European Union. The international intervention deprived Vlad Plahotniuc of his hegemonic political influence. The oligarch left Moldova and the power in the country was taken over by a new coalition government composed of the socialists and the opposition bloc ACUM. However, this change did not lead to the democratisation of Moldovan political life. After only a few months, the role of the political hegemon was taken by the pro-Russian president Igor Dodon. Therefore, the postulate of the deoligarchisation of Moldova, which was used for several months by national and foreign media, only served to change the person in the position of the main political leader.