Political parties in Moldova do not adequately represent the country’s people nor do they have the trust of average citizens, said Petru Culeac, a research fellow at IFES. However, Moldovan elections typically have a high voter turnout, a paradox which Culeac attributes to the country’s Soviet past.

Culeac explored this political contradiction as a William and Kathy Hybl Democracy Studies Fellow at IFES this summer. He presented his findings at a roundtable of 20 democracy development experts at IFES headquarters in Washington, D.C. on August 25.

When the Soviet Union fell, Moldova experienced an expansion in the number of political parties present in the country, with more than 55 parties at this trend’s peak. But later phases have brought drastic party consolidation, with new parties forming mostly as the result of party mergers. In 2001, parliamentary elections brought the Communist Party back to power after a decade of largely ineffectual post-Soviet reformist government.

At the same time, voters tend to be uninformed about the parties and isolated from political decision making, said Culeac, attributing this to Moldova’s past, when all decisions were made by Moscow and not at the local level. Culeac believes that these trends will most likely lead to a form of limited pluralism, with one strong socialist party —a reformed communist party— and other smaller parties with limited powers that would serve only to legitimize the ruling socialist government.

Culeac advocated increased civic education and a national examination of Moldova’s electoral system as a means to reform the country’s political culture. Some roundtable participants said that efforts should be made to introduce reforms that increase the transparency and accountability of the parties.

Culeac is a master’s candidate in international studies at the University of Wyoming. The William and Kathy Hybl Democracy Studies Fellowship Program at IFES brings outstanding graduate students to Washington each year to conduct research in democracy development, election administration and civic participation in the political process.