April 11 (SeeNews) - This year will mark a turning point for Moldova and the government will either start implementing reforms or inch closer to semi-consolidated authoritarian regime, independent watchdog organisation Freedom House said on Wednesday.
Moldova needs to implement the much needed judicial and anticorruption reforms, as well as a new a legal framework for the media sector and thus regain its credibility in the eyes of its partners, Freedom House noted in its latest report Nations in Transit 2018.
Internally, the political "fight" between Moldova's ruling Democratic Party (PDM) and Moldova's Socialist Party (PSRM) are set to continue, deepening the East/West geopolitical dichotomy that dictates the country’s political agenda, the report showed.
PDM and the government will play the role of defender and supporter of pro-Western vector, while PSRM and the presidency will advocate for the pro-Eastern vector. This will lead to the further polarisation of Moldovan society, Freedom House said.
The parliamentary elections in the fall will most likely reconfigure the political scene, with several parliamentary parties polling close to the parliamentary threshold, the report showed.
During 2017, Moldova’s democracy continued on the negative trajectory of the previous years, as political processes were dominated by the adoption of a new, mixed voting electoral system and what appeared to be a tacit agreement between PDM and PSRM.
"By mimicking a 'geopolitical fight', PDM and PSRM have created a false internal agenda aimed at eclipsing real problems faced by society such as poverty, corruption, migration, unemployment, or the billion-dollar theft," Freedom House said. In November 2014, about $1 billion (811 million euro) went missing from three of the country's private banks.
The media sector continued to be politicized in 2017, facing the same new-old challenges, namely an outdated legal framework, excessive influence from politicians and oligarchs, limited independence for the broadcasting regulatory authority, unfair competition on politicized advertising market, and the use of the media for political purposes, the report showed.
Also, anti-corruption initiatives did not contribute to reducing corruption in 2017, as none aimed at depoliticizing public institutions and regulatory agencies. The year saw an excessive politicization of the fight against corruption, the independent watchdog said.
Details on Moldova (ratings based on a scale of 1 to 7, with 1 the highest level of democratic progress and 7 the lowest):
|
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
National Democratic Governance |
5.75 |
5.75 |
5.75 |
Electoral Process |
4.00 |
4.00 |
4.00 |
Civil Society |
3.25 |
3.25 |
3.25 |
Independent Media |
5.00 |
5.00 |
5.00 |
Local Democratic Governance |
5.50 |
5.50 |
5.50 |
Judicial Framework and Independence |
4.75 |
5.00 |
5.00 |
Corruption |
6.00 |
6.00 |
6.00 |
Democracy Score |
4.89 |
4.93 |
4.93 |
Source: Freedom House
($=0.8116 euro)