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1 1 (November 27, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govdcrn0001 and id is 1 raw text is: \ Q Moldova: An Overview Moldovais one of three post-Soviet states-together with Ukraine and Georgia-thathas sought greater integration with the West while dealing with separatist territories occupiedby Russian forces. Many Members of Congress have long supportedMoldova's democratic trajectory and territorial integrity and have called on Rus sia to respect Moldova's sovereignty andwithdraw its military forces. 20}2e Presi tia Eetin In November 2020, a reform-oriented, pro-European candidate, formerprime minister Maia Sandu, was elected Moldova's president. Moldova's presidencyhas relatively limited powers under the country's parliamentary system, but the position also holds symbolic importance. Sandu defeated incumbent President Igor Dodon, 58% to 42%, in a second-round vote (in the first round, Sandu beat Dodon, 36% to 33%). Dodon is the de facto leader of the Rus s ian-leaning, socially conservative Party of Socialis ts, the ruling party. The election was arematch ofMoldova's first direct presidentialelectionin 2016 when Dodon defeated Sandu,52% to 48%. Before the election, polls suggested the outcome was uncertain. Some observers thought Dodon had an advantage. Factors contributing to this perception included the Socialists' control of major media organizations and the anticipated manipulation and mobilization ofpro -Russian voters in Moldova's breakaway region of Transnis tria and among Moldovan voters in Rus sia. In October 2020, a joint Moldovan-Russian nongovernmental investigation alleged that Dodon's campaign had received support fromRus s ia's foreign intelligence service. Sandu's campaign targeted the government's alleged economic mismanagement andpoorCOVID-19 pandemic response. In addition, Sandu accused Dodonandother government officials of corruption. Sandu also appeared to benefit fromthe divided vote of supporters of third-place finisher Renato Us atii, who is generally consideredpro- Rus sian but criticized Dodon. Ultimately, Sandu's margin of victory was expanded significantly by heavy turnout among Moldovan voters in Europe. Voters abroad made up 16% of total turnout; 93% ofthemvotedforSandu. Moldova's political environment has beencontentious for years. After parliamentary elections in 2019, Sandu served as prime minister in a short-lived coalition government of ACUM (Now)-areform-oriented, Western-leaning alliance that she co-led-and the Socialists. The uneasy alliance, which formed in June 2019 after a three-month stalemate, unseated the formerly ruling Democratic Party of Moldova(PDM). The PDM gainedpower in 2016 amid fallout from a bank fraud scandal involving the alleged loss of some $1 billion, equivalent to more than 12% of Moldova's gross domestic product (GDP). Many observers say the PDM and its former leader Vladimir Plahotniuc, a wealthy businessman, captured Moldova's state institutions for personal andparty gain. In 2019, the PDM failed in an effort to use Moldova's Constitutional Court to block the Sandu government from coming to power. Plahotniuc subsequently left the country and has been indicted for financial crimes. In November 2019, the Sandu government fell after the Socialists initiated a no -confidence vote against Sandu for seeking to grant herself greater control over the appointment ofthe country's prosecutor-general. Sandu reportedly made the move because she feared Dodon and the Socialists were seeking to s abotage judicialreforms. A new government led by Ion Chicu, a former finance minis ter with ties to Dodon, formed with PDM support. Some PDM members left the party to formanew parliamentary faction. In March 2020, the PDM officially joined the Chicu government but withdrew in November 2020. Sandu and other politicians have called fornew parliamentary elections. It is unclear if the Chicu government willretain enough support to remain in power. Since Moldova gained independence in 1991, it has coped with the de facto but limited secession ofTransnistria, a Rus sian-backed region with at least 10% of Moldova's population and a substantial industrial base. Moldovan authorities support a special governance status for Transnistria, but Russia and authorities in Transnistria have resistedmaking an agreement on such a status. Despite its separatist tendencies, Transnis tria has strong economic links with both Moldova and the European Unon (EU), the destination for abouthalf of its exports. Residents may vote in Moldovan elections at polling stations outside Transnistria; some 31,000 were reportedto have voted in the s econdround of the 2020 presidential election. Russia stations about 1,500 soldiers in Transnistria, afew hundred ofwhich Moldova accepts as peacekeepers. In 2017, Moldova's Constitutional Court ruled that Russia's non-peacekeeping troop presence was unconstitutional, and its parliament adopted a declaration calling on Rus sia to withdraw these forces. In 2018, the U.N. General Assembly passed a resolutioncalling on Russia to withdraw its troops from Moldova unconditionally and without further delay. A conflict-resolution process that was renewed in 2011 operates in a 5+2 format underthechairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Updated November 27,2020

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