On Thursday, June 15, 2017, in the Multipurpose hall of the A.Russo State University in Balti municipality, IDIS experts opened public debates on the main conclusions of the Local Democracy Statement (SDL) report, an event organized in partnership with the North Regional Development Agency (ADR) and IDEA (Sweden).
In its opening speech, Nana Kalandadze, IDEAS Program Coordinator, mentioned the following:
"Democracy is solid through its institutional foundations, participation and citizenship. This type of comprehensive report on the institutions of local democracy is applied for the first time in the Republic of Moldova on the basis of several conceptual pillars: Citizenship, Justice and Equal Rights, Representatives and Democratic Institutions at Local Level, Citizen Initiatives and Participation, which define in a more flexible formula what the classic instruments of participatory democracy from the citizens perspective. The IDEA model is particularly suited to assess the quality and practices of citizenship at local and sub-national (regional) levels, measuring citizens' attachment to the levers by which a political regime operates: representation, transparency, democratic accountability and other issues. The elaboration of this report implied a consistent and migratory effort of research, data collection, analysis, but also extensive public consultations. We are glad to be in Balti today, together with our partners, IDIS and ADR, to discuss the most relevant and useful aspects of this Report".
"The Local Democracy Status Assessment Report is a new product that IDIS experts have worked with pleasure and dedication", said Igor Munteanu, Director of IDIS. Sustainable development needs good laws, administrative practices described through efficiency and integrity, but also needs the creative energy of local participation, without which nothing can guarantee results in time. There are over-exploited terminals sometimes, "participation", "transparency", "representation," which we often do not look alive from a simple citizen's perspective, and this contributes to a certain extent to the inflation of political populism, emptying the content of local democracy institutions. Local autonomy is based on the need for trust, participation and solidarity. A model of democratic government at the local level is, from my perspective, the vital step that the resettlement of democracy needs. Many of the country's failures and tragedies have resulted from the isolation of citizens from the decision-making process, the reduction of dialogue and interaction, especially at a local level, especially in a divided society that needs solidarity and trust in positive options for development and economic growth".
The Study on the Status of Local Democracy is a premiere for the Republic of Moldova, given that the evaluation includes a comprehensive analysis of all development areas, quantitative and qualitative measurements, including in the regions of the eastern part of the Republic of Moldova, bringing to the attention of those interested a solid basis of new data. The study provides a comprehensive picture of significant differences between towns, regions, and communities, aiming to explain and interpret existing inequalities, thus managing to analyze the course of decentralization and its obstacles.
The report "The Status of Local Democracy in Moldova" is currently at the stage of its punctual discourse through a series of regional and sectorial events, where its observations and recommendations are grounded. Its final version will be presented on 29 June at a national summit conference with the participation of the Swiss Cooperation Office (SDC) and IDEA International (Institute for Democracy and Election Assistance) to influence the quality of the policies and priorities chosen In the Republic of Moldova on local development, judicial reforms and the rule of law, as well as regional policies.
