Politics of Transnistria
Encyclopedia
Politics of Transnistria, a de facto
independent state situated de jure
within the Republic of Moldova
in Eastern Europe
, takes place in a framework of a presidential
republic
, whereby the President of Transnistria
is both head of state
and head of government
. Executive power
is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government
and parliament.
Formally, Transnistria
has a multi-party system and an unicameral
parliament, called the Supreme Council. The president is elected by popular vote. The latest parliamentary elections were held in December 2005; however, they were not monitored by international organizations such as Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
(OSCE), which has expressed doubts about the level of democracy in the region, and were not recognized by other countries.
Political parties from Moldova
don't recognize the Transnistrian government and don't participate at elections organized by it.
decreased by 18%. This is significantly higher than the decrease of population in the Republic of Moldova (which was 6%, for the same period ).
Data issued by Transnistrian authorities show that of the 555,500 inhabitants, a total of 394,861 are registered to vote, down 5.6% from a year earlier.
In August 2006, one month before the referendum
against reintegration in Moldova, 4 members of pro-Moldovan NGO "Dignitas" from Slobozia
were brought in for questioning by Transnistrian law enforcement as part of an investigation into a bus explosion which had taken place three days earlier and which killed two people. They were released after few days in custody, no charges being made against them.
In November 2006, the Moldovan press reported that the offices of the Rîbniţa district committee of the Communist Party in Transnistria were closed by the local Transnistrian authorities. The Communist Party of Moldova condemned the act and claims it was closed under false pretenses.
was banned in May 2001; after an appeal the ban was lifted but was reintroduced in December 2001, again the ban was lifted to be reintroduced in August 2002 and confirmed by the "Supreme Court" in December 2002.
"Power to the People" Party led by Nicolae Butchatsky was banned in February 2002.
On November 14, 2001, the Transnistrian customs service banned the distribution of the publication "Glas Naroda", as it contained Radchenko's electoral platform. Radchenko said in a press conference that "Glas Naroda" has been published outside Transnistria because all the printing houses had refused to print it after having discussed the issue with representatives of the Ministry of State Security.
Election results have been contested by some, as in 2001 in one region an undisclosed source reported that Igor Smirnov
collected 103.6% of the votes. Nevertheless, some organizations, such as CIS-EMO, have participated and have called them democratic.
In Transnistria, the president is elected directly, while in Moldova, the president is elected by the parliament, the political structure of Moldova being a parliamentary
republic.
puts the official number of Transnistrians with Moldovan citizenship at 107,600 people (19,4% of respondents).
Transnistria does not allow the organisation of Moldovan elections in Transnistrian territory, just like Moldova does not allow the organisation of Transnistrian elections in Moldovan territory. Polling stations were organised only in those areas of Transnistria under Moldovan government control.
Political parties from Moldova have organisations in Transnistria but refuse to participate in elections organized by the de facto Republic. They participate only in the elections of the Republic of Moldova.
In 2005 Moldovan parliamentary elections nine special polling stations were organised near the Dniester for "guest voters" coming from Transnistria who wished to vote in the Moldovan elections. Around 8000 citizens voted there, who were included in supplementary voter rolls. In those special polling stations results were: 30% for Communist Party of Moldova
(compared with 46% in entire Moldova), 50% for Democratic Moldova Bloc (28,5% in entire Moldova), 8% for Christian-Democratic Party (9,1% in entire Moldova) and 6% for each Social Democratic Party and Patria-Rodina Bloc. Due to large turnout of Transnistrian voters queues were formed and some voters didn't manage to vote. As claimed by the Coalition for Free and Democratic Elections, many Transnistrian voters were not informed properly about the place of the voting and some owners of Soviet passports which don't bear the mention "citizen of Moldova" were not allowed to vote.
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
independent state situated de jure
De jure
De jure is an expression that means "concerning law", as contrasted with de facto, which means "concerning fact".De jure = 'Legally', De facto = 'In fact'....
within the Republic of Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
, takes place in a framework of a presidential
Presidential system
A presidential system is a system of government where an executive branch exists and presides separately from the legislature, to which it is not responsible and which cannot, in normal circumstances, dismiss it....
republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
, whereby the President of Transnistria
President of Transnistria
The President of Transnistria is the highest elected official of Transnistria, a small unrecognized country which declared independence from Moldova in 1990. The president of the republic is the country's head of state and is commander in chief...
is both head of state
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
and head of government
Head of government
Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...
. Executive power
Executive Power
Executive Power is Vince Flynn's fifth novel, and the fourth to feature Mitch Rapp, an American agent that works for the CIA as an operative for a covert counter terrorism unit called the "Orion Team."-Plot summary:...
is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
and parliament.
Formally, Transnistria
Transnistria
Transnistria is a breakaway territory located mostly on a strip of land between the Dniester River and the eastern Moldovan border to Ukraine...
has a multi-party system and an unicameral
Unicameralism
In government, unicameralism is the practice of having one legislative or parliamentary chamber. Thus, a unicameral parliament or unicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of one chamber or house...
parliament, called the Supreme Council. The president is elected by popular vote. The latest parliamentary elections were held in December 2005; however, they were not monitored by international organizations such as Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, human rights, freedom of the press and fair elections...
(OSCE), which has expressed doubts about the level of democracy in the region, and were not recognized by other countries.
Political parties from Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
don't recognize the Transnistrian government and don't participate at elections organized by it.
2006 Presidential election
Electorate shrinkage
As shown by census results, between 1989 and 2004 the population in TransnistriaTransnistria
Transnistria is a breakaway territory located mostly on a strip of land between the Dniester River and the eastern Moldovan border to Ukraine...
decreased by 18%. This is significantly higher than the decrease of population in the Republic of Moldova (which was 6%, for the same period ).
Data issued by Transnistrian authorities show that of the 555,500 inhabitants, a total of 394,861 are registered to vote, down 5.6% from a year earlier.
Political freedom in Transnistria
There is disagreement as to whether elections in Transnistria are free and fair. Western organizations, such as the OSCE, have declared that no democratic elections can take place in the region under the present circumstances and have refused to even monitor them.2005 - 2006 elections
A team of Russian journalists from Moldova who covered the December 2006 explained that it was "interesting that the position is not a fear of authority, with pressure from government" but that people vote voluntarily because Chişinău, the capital of Moldova, is not an appealing alternative. According to Chişinău-based Vremea, there is now a whole generation of people in Transnistria who see Chişinău only as something negative.In August 2006, one month before the referendum
Transnistrian referendum, 2006
The 2006 referendum in Transnistria took place in Transnistria on 17 September 2006. On that date, Transnistria voted to continue its de facto independence and seek closer ties with Russia.- Political climate :...
against reintegration in Moldova, 4 members of pro-Moldovan NGO "Dignitas" from Slobozia
Slobozia, Moldova
Slobozia is a city in the Republic of Moldova which is the seat of the Slobozia sub-district of Transnistria.Slobozia is located at , in the southern part of Transnistria, south of Tiraspol. It had a population of 18,748 at the census in 1989, and ca. 12,300 at the census in 2004...
were brought in for questioning by Transnistrian law enforcement as part of an investigation into a bus explosion which had taken place three days earlier and which killed two people. They were released after few days in custody, no charges being made against them.
In November 2006, the Moldovan press reported that the offices of the Rîbniţa district committee of the Communist Party in Transnistria were closed by the local Transnistrian authorities. The Communist Party of Moldova condemned the act and claims it was closed under false pretenses.
2000 - 2001 elections
Some parties and publications were banned. People's Power Party led by Supreme Soviet member Alexander RadchenkoAlexander Radchenko
Alexander Radchenko , an ethnic Ukrainian, is a politician and human rights activist in Transnistria. A former Soviet military officer, he is today the editor of a small opposition newspaper in Tiraspol called Man and His Rights...
was banned in May 2001; after an appeal the ban was lifted but was reintroduced in December 2001, again the ban was lifted to be reintroduced in August 2002 and confirmed by the "Supreme Court" in December 2002.
"Power to the People" Party led by Nicolae Butchatsky was banned in February 2002.
On November 14, 2001, the Transnistrian customs service banned the distribution of the publication "Glas Naroda", as it contained Radchenko's electoral platform. Radchenko said in a press conference that "Glas Naroda" has been published outside Transnistria because all the printing houses had refused to print it after having discussed the issue with representatives of the Ministry of State Security.
Election results have been contested by some, as in 2001 in one region an undisclosed source reported that Igor Smirnov
Igor Smirnov
Igor Nikolaevich Smirnov , is the President of the internationally unrecognized Pridnestrovian Moldovan Republic, also known as Transnistria. He has held this post since 1990.- Childhood :...
collected 103.6% of the votes. Nevertheless, some organizations, such as CIS-EMO, have participated and have called them democratic.
Comparison between Moldova's and Transnistria's political system
While Transnistria has a strongly centralized political system, with the president being also the head of government and having the right to appoint the heads of local (rayonal) administrations, in Moldova the prime minister, elected by the parliament, is the head of government and the heads of rayonal administrations are established by the rayonal councils resulted from local elections.In Transnistria, the president is elected directly, while in Moldova, the president is elected by the parliament, the political structure of Moldova being a parliamentary
Parliamentary system
A parliamentary system is a system of government in which the ministers of the executive branch get their democratic legitimacy from the legislature and are accountable to that body, such that the executive and legislative branches are intertwined....
republic.
Participation of Transnistrians at Moldovan elections
The number of Transnistrian holding Moldovan citizenship is disputed. According to the Moldovan government, 400,000 Transnistrians have Moldovan citizenship, which would be the majority of the population and would exceed by a wide margin the amount of ethnic Moldovans living in Transnistria. However, 2004 Transnistrian census data2004 Census in Transnistria
The 2004 Census in Transnistria was organized in Transnistria at roughly the same time that Moldova held its own census, which Transnistria refused to participate in out of principle and deference to its September 2, 1990 Declaration of Independence....
puts the official number of Transnistrians with Moldovan citizenship at 107,600 people (19,4% of respondents).
Transnistria does not allow the organisation of Moldovan elections in Transnistrian territory, just like Moldova does not allow the organisation of Transnistrian elections in Moldovan territory. Polling stations were organised only in those areas of Transnistria under Moldovan government control.
Political parties from Moldova have organisations in Transnistria but refuse to participate in elections organized by the de facto Republic. They participate only in the elections of the Republic of Moldova.
In 2005 Moldovan parliamentary elections nine special polling stations were organised near the Dniester for "guest voters" coming from Transnistria who wished to vote in the Moldovan elections. Around 8000 citizens voted there, who were included in supplementary voter rolls. In those special polling stations results were: 30% for Communist Party of Moldova
Communist Party of Moldova
The Communist Party of Moldova was one of the fourteen republic-level parties that formed the Communist Party of the Soviet Union until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Indeed, the PCM was the republic-level chapter of the CPSU in the Moldavian SSR from 1940 to 1991...
(compared with 46% in entire Moldova), 50% for Democratic Moldova Bloc (28,5% in entire Moldova), 8% for Christian-Democratic Party (9,1% in entire Moldova) and 6% for each Social Democratic Party and Patria-Rodina Bloc. Due to large turnout of Transnistrian voters queues were formed and some voters didn't manage to vote. As claimed by the Coalition for Free and Democratic Elections, many Transnistrian voters were not informed properly about the place of the voting and some owners of Soviet passports which don't bear the mention "citizen of Moldova" were not allowed to vote.
External links
- Transnistria's "Government" Showcases Foreign, Minority Rule, Global Policy Forum, 2 February 2007
- Russian organizations in Transnistria campaign for a second Kaliningrad, Vladimir SocorVladimir SocorVladimir Socor is a political analyst of East European affairs for the Jamestown Foundation and its Eurasia Daily Monitor, currently residing in Munich, Germany...
, Eurasia Daily Monitor, 11 August 2006 - Russia’s Business to Vote for President of Transdniestria, KommersantKommersantKommersant is a commerce-oriented newspaper published in Russia. , the circulation was 131,000.- History :The newspaper was initially published in 1909, and it was closed down following the Bolshevik seizure of power and the introduction of censorship in 1917.In 1989, with the onset of press...
, 1 November 2006 - A thaw in the river, The EconomistThe EconomistThe Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
19 April 2007