Tuesday, January 22, IDIS Viitorul presented in a press conference the final conclusions of the latest national report "State of Local Democracy in Moldova" (SoLD) - a complex report, analysizing the state of affairs with regards to the access and enjoyment of fundamental rights, functioning of representative institutions and processes at the local level, and the state of civic activism and participation in community affairs. The assessment was based on the methodology developed by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance and brings together input from a representative survey of citizens across Moldova, focus groups and individual interviews with citizens, civil society organizations and experts. The report explores relevant themes and the perception of the public on the delivery of public services at the local and regional level, such as public order, social services, health, education, access to water, sanitation, roads, public recreation.

• The authors of the State of Local Democracy in Moldova find that local authorities have been allocated an excessive volume of competencies for which they do not have the appropriate technical capacities and budget resources. Mayors enjoy the highest levels of trust, compared with other local authorities, as they are seen by citizens as local leaders who are more active and connected with their constituents compared to other local officials.
• Territorial fragmentation and the reduced capacity of local authorities require a policy of territorial-administrative re-calibration and reform. However, this reform needs to be conceptualized and carried out through an inclusive and deliberative process, ensuring broad local ownership of the proposed solutions and avoiding further rifts between various levels of government.
• Two-thirds of citizens thought they had no access to justice when dealing with local authorities. Injustice and discrimination experienced by individuals belonging to various disadvantaged groups was a thread across most of the interactions with citizens during this assessment, underscoring complex, multiple forms of discrimination, direct and indirect, and societal prejudice, based on disability, income, rural/urban divide, race, language, sex and gender identity.
• Most of the ordinary citizens remain largely detached from political organizations and processes. Large part of citizens considers that politicians do not represent their interests and electoral results do not translate into positive governance outcomes. Perceptions of vote buying, lack of transparent candidate nomination processes and elite interests influencing decision-making threaten to undermine democracy’s legitimacy. Lack of citizen engagement with parties limits political pluralism.
• Voting as the most frequent form of participation does not translate into more meaningful and regular participation in the affairs of local governments. The assessment found low level of citizen participation in local government consultations of various types, explained by respondents as a rational response to what is usually a one-way, limited communication with no tangible results. Notably, more instances of engagement where found in forms of participation related to local community development projects and housing issues i.e. in activities where citizens feel they are most in control and anticipate concrete outcomes.

"Citizens evaluate democracy on the basis of the services they consume: order, welfare, medical services, education, rights and freedoms, jobs, and assistance. Local democracy is not limited to formal elections; it requires competent public authorities that are separate and distinct from the central (national) level of the government, capable of autonomously managing the interests of communities. Democracy needs a plan based on deliverables, and construction will be sustainable if it is to be based on a solid foundation of mechanisms and institutions, rules and laws that ensure representation, inclusiveness, equity, diversity” , the director of IDIS Viitorul, Igor Munteanu explained.

In turn, Nana Kalandadze, Programme Officer at International IDEA noted: "Democratic governance is made solid and resilient through its capacity to deliver the fundamental rights to its citizens, enable democratic pluralism and rule of law at the local level, and foster citizen participation in the community life. We are gland that we have been able to support this assessment in Moldova and look forward to its findings and recommendations being discussed within local governments, and implemented in the future".

The assessment was developed with the financial support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and through expert support from International IDEA . The report and several discussions organized in relation to this assessment aim to inform and influence the course of policy choices and the overall reform strategy of decentralization, political and electoral reforms and the reform of the local public administration.

The report can be accessed here.

For further details, please contact the press officer, Victor URSU, at the following address: ursu.victoor@gmail.com or at 069017396