Independent Republic of Moldova 1991[edit]

Gaining independence[edit]
Main articles: Independence of Moldova and Declaration of
Independence of Moldova
In the climate of Mikhail Gorbachev's perestroika and glasnost, national
sentiment escalated in the Moldavian SSR in 1988. In 1989, the Popular
Front of Moldova was formed as an association of independent cultural
and political groups and gained official recognition. The Popular Front
organized a number of large demonstrations, which led to the
designation of Moldovan as the official language of the MSSR on August
31, 1989 and a return to the Latin alphabet. [73]
However, opposition was growing to the increasingly exclusionary
nationalist policies of the Popular Front,[73] especially in Transnistria,
where the Yedinstvo-Unitatea (Unity) Intermovement had been formed in
1988 by Slavic minorities,[74] and in the south, where the organization
Gagauz Halkî (Gagauz People), formed in November 1989, came to
represent the Gagauz, a Turkic-speaking minority there.
The first democratic elections to the Moldavian SSR's Supreme
Soviet were held on February 25, 1990. Runoff elections were held in
March. The Popular Front won a majority of the votes. After the
elections, Mircea Snegur, a reformed communist, was elected chairman
of the Supreme Soviet; in September he became president of the
republic. The reformist government that took over in May 1990 made
many changes that did not please the minorities, including changing the
republic's name in June from the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic to
the Soviet Socialist Republic of Moldova and declaring it sovereign the
following month. At the same time, Romanian tricolor with the Moldavian
coat-of-arms was adopted as the state flag, and Deșteaptă-te române!,
the Romanian anthem, became the anthem of the SSRM. During that
period a Movement for unification of Romania and the Republic of
Moldova became active in each country.
In August 1990, following a refusal of the increasingly nationalist
republican government, to grant cultural and territorial autonomy to
Gagauzia and Transnistria, two regions populated primarily by ethnic
minorities. In response, the Gagauz Autonomous Soviet Socialist
Republic was declared in the south, in the city of Comrat. In September
in Tiraspol, the main city on the east bank of the Dniester River,
the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic (commonly called
the "Dnestr Republic", later Transnistria) followed suit. The parliament of
Moldova immediately declared these declarations null and void. [75]
In mid-October 1990, approximately 30,000 Moldovan nationalist
volunteers were sent to Gagauzia and Transnistria, where an outbreak of
violence was averted by the intervention of the Soviet 14th Army. [76] (The
Soviet 14th Army, now the Russian 14th Army, had been headquartered
in Chișinău since 1956.) However, negotiations in Moscow between the
Gagauz and Transnistrian leadership, and the government of the Soviet
Socialist Republic of Moldova failed.
In May 1991, the country's official name was changed to the Republic of
Moldova (Republica Moldova).[75] The name of the Supreme Soviet also
was changed, to the Moldovan Parliament.
During the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt in Moscow against Mikhail
Gorbachev, commanders of the Soviet Union's Southwestern Theater of
Military Operations attempted to impose a state of emergency in
Moldova. They were overruled by the Moldovan government, which
declared its support for Russian president Boris Yeltsin, who led the
counter-coup in Moscow.[77] On 27 August 1991, following the coup's
collapse, Moldova declared its independence from the Soviet Union.
The December elections of Stepan Topal and Igor Smirnov as presidents
of Gagauzia and Transnistria respectively, and the official dissolution of
the Soviet Union at the end of the year, had further increased tensions in
Moldova.[78]
Transnistria[edit]
Main articles: Transnistria, War of Transnistria, and Transnistria conflict
Transnistrian region of Moldova

Transnistria is the region east of the Dniester River, which includes a

large proportion of predominantly Russophone ethnic Russians and
Ukrainians (51%, as of 1989, with ethnic Moldovans forming a 40%
minority). The headquarters of the Soviet 14th Guards Army was located
in the regional capital Tiraspol. There, on September 2, 1990, local
authorities proclaimed an independent Pridnestrovian Moldavian Soviet
Socialist Republic.[75] The motives behind this move were fear of the rise
of nationalism in Moldova and the country's expected reunification
with Romania upon secession from the USSR. In the winter of 1991–
1992 clashes occurred between Transnistrian forces and the Moldovan
police. Between March 2 and July 26, 1992, the conflict escalated into a
military engagement. Following an intervention of the 14th Army into the
conflict on the side of the separatists, the war was stopped and the
Moscow Agreement on the principles of peace settlement of armed
conflict in Trans-Dniester districts of the republic of Moldova was signed
on 21 July 1992.[78]
As of 2007, the Russian military remains in Transnistria, despite Russia
having signed international agreements to withdraw, and against the will
of Moldovan government.[79][80] The government of Moldova continues to
offer extensive autonomy to Transnistria, while the government of
Transnistria demands independence. De jure, Transnistria is
internationally recognized as part of Moldova, but de facto, the Moldovan
government doesn't exercise any control over the territory.[81]
Independence: the early years, 1991–
2001[edit]
Main articles: Post-independence of Moldova and Politics of Moldova
On 8 December 1991, Mircea Snegur, an ex-communist reformer, ran an
unopposed election for the presidency. On March 2, 1992, the country
achieved formal recognition as an independent state at the United
Nations.[82]
In 1992, Moldova became involved in a brief conflict against local
insurgents in Transnistria, who were aided by locally stationed Russian
armed forces and Don Cossacks, which resulted in the failure of
Moldova to regain control over the breakaway republic.
Starting 1993, Moldova began to distance itself from Romania. The 1994
Constitution of Moldova used the term "Moldovan language" instead of
"Romanian" and changed the national anthem to "Limba noastră".
On January 2, 1992, Moldova introduced a market economy, liberalizing
prices, which resulted in huge inflation. From 1992 to 2001, the young
country suffered its worst economic crisis, leaving most of the population
below the poverty line. In 1993, a national currency, the Moldovan leu,
was introduced to replace the Soviet ruble. The end of the planned
economy also meant that industrial enterprises would have to buy
supplies and sell their goods by themselves, and most of the
management was unprepared for such a change. [citation needed] Moldova's
industry, especially machine building, became all but defunct, and
unemployment skyrocketed.[citation needed] The economic fortunes of Moldova
began to change in 2001; since then the country has seen a steady
annual growth of between 5% and 10%. In the early 2000s, there was
also a considerable growth of emigration of Moldovans looking for work
(mostly illegally) in Italy, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey,
Russia and other countries.[citation needed] Remittances from Moldovans abroad
account for almost 38% of Moldova's GDP, the second-highest
percentage in the world.[83] Officially, Moldova's annual GDP is on the
order of $1,000 per capita; however, a significant part of the economy
goes unregistered due to corruption.[citation needed]
The pro-nationalist governments of prime ministers Mircea Druc (May
25, 1990 – May 28, 1991), and Valeriu Muravschi (May 28, 1991 – July
1, 1992), were followed by a more moderate government of Andrei
Sangheli, during which there was a decline of the pro-Romanian
nationalist sentiment.[84] After the 1994 elections, Moldovan Parliament
adopted measures that distanced Moldova from Romania. [81] The new
Moldovan Constitution also provided for autonomy for Transnistria and
Gagauzia. On December 23, 1994, the Parliament of Moldova adopted a
"Law on the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia", and in 1995 it was
constituted.[85]
After winning the presidential elections of 1996, on January 15,
1997, Petru Lucinschi, the former First Secretary of the Moldavian
Communist Party in 1989–91, became the country's second president.
After the legislative elections on March 22, 1998, the Alliance for
Democracy and Reform was formed by non-Communist parties.
However, the term of the new government of Prime Minister Ion
Ciubuc (January 24, 1997– February 1, 1999) was marked by chronic
political instability, which prevented a coherent reform program.
[81]
 The 1998 financial crisis in Russia, Moldova's main economic partner
at the time, produced an economic crisis in the country. The standard of
living plunged, with 75% of population living below the poverty line, while
the economic disaster caused 600,000 people to emigrate. [81]
New governments were formed by Ion Sturza (February 19 – November
9, 1999) and Dumitru Braghiş (December 21, 1999 – April 19, 2001). On
July 21, 2000, the Parliament adopted an amendment to the Constitution
that transformed Moldova from a presidential to a parliamentary republic,
in which the president is elected by three fifths of the votes in the
parliament, and no longer directly by the people. [81]

Return of the Communists, 2001–2009[edit]

2002 protests
Only 3 of the 31 political parties won more than the 6% of the popular
vote required to win seats in parliament in the February 25, 2001
elections. Winning 49.9% of the vote, the Party of Communists of the
Republic of Moldova (reinstituted in 1993 after being outlawed in 1991),
gained 71 of the 101 parliament seats, and elected Vladimir Voronin as
the country's third president on April 4, 2001. A new government was
formed on April 19, 2001 by Vasile Tarlev. The country became the first
post-Soviet state where a non-reformed communist party returned to
power.[81] In March–April 2002, the opposition Christian-Democratic
People's Party organized a mass protest in Chișinău against the plans of
the government to fulfill its electoral promise and introduce Russian as
the second state language along with its compulsory study in schools.
[86]
 The government annulled these plans.
The relationship between Moldova and Russia deteriorated in November
2003 over a Russian proposal for the solution of the Transnistria conflict,
which Moldovan authorities refused to accept[87] because it stipulated a
20-year Russian military presence in Moldova. The federalization plan
for Moldova would have also turned Transnistria and Gagauzia into
a blocking minority over all major policy matters of Moldova. As of 2006,
approximately 1,200 of the 14th Army personnel remain stationed in
Transnistria, guarding a large ammunitions depot at Colbasna. In recent
years, negotiations between the Transnistrian and Moldovan leaders
have been going on under the mediation of the Organization for Security
and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Russia, and Ukraine; lately
observers from the European Union and the United States have become
involved, creating a 5+2 format.
In the wake of the November 2003 deadlock with Russia, a series of
shifts in the external policy of Moldova occurred, targeted at
rapprochement with the European Union. In the context of the EU's
expansion to the east, Moldova wants to sign the Stability and
Association Agreement. It implemented its first three-year action plan
within the framework of the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) of the
EU.[88][89]
In the March 2005 elections, the Party of the Communists (PCRM) won
46% of the vote, (56 of the 101 seats in the Parliament), the Democratic
Moldova Block (BMD) won 28.5% of the vote (34 MPs), and the Christian
Democratic People Party (PPCD) won 9.1% (11 MPs). On April 4,
2005, Vladimir Voronin was re-elected as country's president, supported
by a part of the opposition, and on April 8, Vasile Tarlev was again
appointed head of government.[81] On March 31, 2008, Vasile Tarlev was
replaced by Zinaida Greceanîi as head of the government.

2009 civil unrest

Following the parliamentary elections on April 5, 2009 the Communist

Party won 49.48% of the votes, followed by the Liberal Party with
13.14% of the votes, the Liberal Democratic Party with 12.43% and the
Alliance "Moldova Noastră" with 9.77%. The opposition leaders have
protested against the outcome calling it fraudulent and demanded a
repeated election. A preliminary report by OSCE observers called the
vote generally free and fair. However, one member of the OSCE
observation team expressed concerns over that conclusion and said that
she and a number of other team members feel that there had been some
manipulation, but they were unable to find any proof. [90]
On April 6, 2009, several NGOs and opposition parties organized a
protest in Chișinău, gathering a crowd of about 15,000 with the help of
social network sites such as Twitter and Facebook. The protesters
accused the Communist government of electoral fraud. Anti-communist
and pro-Romanian slogans were widely used. The demonstration had
spun out of control on April 7 and escalated into a riot when a part of the
crowd attacked the presidential offices and broke into the parliament
building, looting and setting its interior on fire.[91][92] Police had regained
control on the night of April 8, arresting and detaining several hundred
protesters. Numerous detainees reported beatings by the police when
released.[92][93] The violence on both sides (demonstrators and police) was
condemned by the OSCE and other international organizations. [94]
[95]
 Three young people died during the day the protests took place. The
opposition blamed police abuse for these deaths, while the government
claimed they were either unrelated to the protests, or accidents.
Government officials, including President Vladimir Voronin, called the
rioting a coup d'état attempt and accused Romania of organizing it.[90] The
opposition accused the government of organizing the riots by
introducing agents provocateurs among the protesters. The political
climate in Moldova remained unstable. The parliament failed to elect a
new president.[96] For this reason, the parliament was dissolved and new
general elections were held on July 29, 2009, with the Communists
losing power to the Alliance for European Integration, a pro-European
coalition.[97]

Liberal Democrat and Socialist

administrations, 2009 to present[edit]
See also: 2015 Moldovan protests
An attempt by the new ruling coalition to amend the constitution of
Moldova via a referendum in 2010 in order to enable presidential election
by popular vote failed due to lack of turnout. The parliamentary
election in November 2010 had retained the status quo between the
ruling coalition and the communist opposition. On 16 March 2012,
[98]
 parliament elected Nicolae Timofti as president by 62 votes out of 101,
with the PCRM boycotting the election, putting an end to a political crisis
that had lasted since April 2009.[99] In the November 2014 elections the
pro-European parties maintained their majority in parliament. [100]
In November 2016, pro-Russia candidate Igor Dodon won the
presidential election, defeating his rival Maia Sandu.[101] The 2019
parlaimentary election resulted a vote split between pro-Western and
pro-Russian forces. The opposition Socialists, who favor closer ties to
Moscow, became the largest party with 35 out of 101 seats. The
ruling Democratic Party, which wants closer integration with the EU,
came second with 30 seats. Opposition bloc called ACUM, campaigning
with anti-corruption agenda, was third with 26 seats. [102] In 2019, from 7
June to 15 June, the Moldovan government went through a period of
dual power in what is known as the 2019 Moldovan constitutional crisis.
[103]
 In November 2019, Ion Chicu became new Prime Minister, following
the fall of the former government led by pro-Western Maja Sandu. [104]
In November 2020, opposition candidate Maia Sandu won Moldova's
presidential election after a run-off vote against the incumbent Igor
Dodon. She became the first female President of Moldova. [105]
In July 2021, President Maia Sandu's pro-Western PAS party won a
snap election, resulting Parliament confirmed Sandu's nomination
of Natalia Gavrilita as the new prime minister.[106]

See also[edit]
Bessarabia

Dissolution of the Soviet Union

History of the Ukraine

List of Presidents of Moldova

List of Prime Ministers of Moldova

Moldavia

Politics of Moldova