The politics of Moldova take place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic,wherein the prime minister is the head of the Government of Moldova,and a multi-party system. The President of Moldova has no important powers. The government exercises executive power while the legislative power is vested in the Parliament. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The position of the breakaway region of Transnistria,relations with Romania and with Russia,and integration into the EU dominate political discussions.
Moldova,officially the Republic of Moldova,is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe,on the northeastern corner of the Balkans. The country spans a total of 33,483 km2 and has a population of approximately 2.5 million as of January 2023. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north,east,and south. The unrecognised breakaway state of Transnistria lies across the Dniester river on the country's eastern border with Ukraine. Moldova is a unitary parliamentary representative democratic republic with its capital in Chișinău,the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre.
The prime minister of Moldova is Moldova's head of government. The prime minister is formally appointed by the president of Moldova and exercises executive power along with the cabinet,subject to parliamentary support. Dorin Recean has been serving as prime minister since 16 February 2023 following the dissolution of the Gavrilița cabinet which took place during the same month.
The unification of Moldova and Romania is a popular concept in the two countries that began during the Revolutions of 1989. The Romanian Revolution in 1989 and the independence of Moldova in 1991 further contributed to the development of a movement for the unification of the two Romanian-speaking countries. The question of reunification is recurrent in the public sphere of the two countries,often as a speculation,both as a goal and a danger. Though historically Romanian support for unification was high,a March 2022 survey following the Russian invasion of Ukraine indicated that only 11% of Romania's population supports an immediate union,while over 42% think it is not the right moment.
Relations between the European Union (EU) and Moldova are currently shaped via the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP),an EU foreign policy instrument dealing with countries bordering its member states.
Moldova–Russia relations are the bilateral relations between the Republic of Moldova and the Russian Federation,two Eastern European,post-Soviet,ex-communist countries. Russian support for the self-proclaimed Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (Transnistria) and a substantial Russian military presence therein strained Moldovan relations with Russia.
The Moldovan Ground Forces,known officially as Land Forces Command is the land armed-forces branch of the National Army of the Moldovan Armed Forces. The Moldovan Ground Forces date back to the dissolution of the Soviet Union between 1991 and 1992. As of 2018 the Moldovan Ground Forces consists of around 4,000 personnel.
Mihai Ghimpu is a Moldovan politician who served as President of the Moldovan Parliament and Acting President of Moldova from 2009 to 2010. He was member of Parliament of Moldova from 1990 to 1998 and from 2009 to 2019. Ghimpu held the position of leader of Liberal Party (PL) from 1998 to 2018.
Moldova–Ukraine relations are the bilateral/diplomatic/foreign relations between the sovereign states of Moldova and Ukraine. The Moldova–Ukraine border is 985 kilometers. Ukrainians are the third largest ethnic group in Moldova,behind Moldovans and Romanians. Both countries were former republics of the Soviet Union and are also the poorest countries in Europe. Both countries have applied for membership to join the European Union in 2022.
Ion Sturza is a Moldovan politician and businessman who served as Prime Minister of Moldova from 19 February to 12 November 1999. On 21 December 2015,President Nicolae Timofti nominated Ion Sturza to occupy the position of prime minister for a second time. However,Ion Sturza gave up the mandate,after the meeting in which his cabinet should receive the investiture vote was not held due to lack of quorum.
Valeriu Muravschi was a Moldovan politician and businessman who served as the first prime minister of Moldova between 28 May 1991 and 1 July 1992.
Petru Pascari is a Soviet and Moldovan politician. Petru Pascari was on two occasions the prime minister of the Moldavian SSR:24 April 1970 –1 August 1976 and 10 January –26 May 1990.
Ion Negrei is a Moldovan politician.
Natalia Gherman is a Moldovan politician who has been serving as executive director of the United Nations' Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate since 2023.
The Ministry of Defence is one of the fourteen ministries of the Government of Moldova. It is the main executive body responsible for the managing of the Armed Forces of Moldova.
Dorin Recean is a Moldovan economist and politician serving as Prime Minister of Moldova since February 2023. Since 2022 he has also served as Presidential Advisor on Defense and National Security,and Secretary of Moldova's Supreme Security Council. He previously served as Minister of Internal Affairs of Moldova from July 2012 to February 2015. He has extensive experience in the private sector and in the IT industry with a specialisation in data,including big data,and information analysis. He also worked in development institutions and was previously a lecturer at several universities.
The Pro-European Coalition was the ruling coalition in Moldova from 30 May 2013 until 18 February 2015. Its leaders were Vlad Filat,Marian Lupu,and Ion Hadârcă. The previous Alliance for European Integration collapsed after it lost a no confidence vote on March 5,2013. It was succeeded by the Political Alliance for a European Moldova.
Maia Sandu is a Moldovan politician who has been the President of Moldova since 24 December 2020. She is the founder and former leader of the Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) and former Prime Minister of Moldova from 8 June 2019 until 14 November 2019,when the government collapsed after a vote of no-confidence. Sandu was Minister of Education from 2012 to 2015 and member of the Parliament of Moldova from 2014 to 2015,and again in 2019. Sandu was elected President of Moldova in a landslide victory during the 2020 Moldovan presidential election. The first female president of Moldova,Sandu is a strong supporter of the accession of Moldova to the European Union,overseeing Moldova's granting of candidate status,and is considered 'pro-Western'. She has criticised and opposed Russia's invasion of Ukraine and supported subsequent steps to reduce Moldova's economic dependence on Russia,frequently expressing sympathy and support for Ukraine in the conflict. Sandu has made anti-corruption,economic reform and liberalisation a central part of her political platform,as well as closer integration with Europe. In February 2023,she accused Russia of seeking to stage a coup of the Moldovan government and has continued to seek to reduce Russia's influence over the country.
During the COVID-19 pandemic,Romania has supported Moldova on several occasions,supplying it with medical equipment and supplies,volunteer Romanian experts and doctors and even a series of COVID-19 vaccine units that arrived on 27 February 2021,which allowed Moldova to start its vaccination program.
On 15 November 2022,a missile struck Polish territory,in the village of Przewodów near the border with Ukraine,killing two people. The incident occurred during attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure by Russia. It was the first incident of a foreign missile hitting NATO territory during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Initially Ukraine accused Russia of striking Poland,while United States claimed that the missile was likely to have been an air defence missile fired by Ukrainian forces at an incoming Russian missile. This was later confirmed in September 2023 by the Polish Prosecutor's Office,which stated that the explosion was caused by an out of control air-defence missile S-300.
