The state of democracy in the Republic of Moldova has deteriorated significantly in the last five years, being threatened by bank fraud, corruption, poverty and inefficient governance. This is the opinion of Veaceslav Ioniță and Diana Enachi, authors of the report on the state of democracy in the Republic of Moldova, presented on June 30 by the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives (IDIS) "Viitorul" and INEKO Slovakia.

The report on the state of democracy aims to assess the quality of democracy in the Republic of Moldova in relation to political participation, independence of public institutions, civil liberties and the extent of corruption.

"Democracy in the Republic of Moldova is determined by the quality of life. And obviously, most citizens believe that their quality of life does not live up to expectations, which is why they have a negative opinion about the state of democracy in the country. If we assess the situation in the last five years, about a third of citizens, according to our report, believe that things have remained intact, and the state of democracy has not changed, and obviously the quality of life of the population, unfortunately, has not changed", states Liubomir Chiriac, executive director of IDIS "Viitorul".

In his turn, Peter Golias, INEKO director believes the following on democracy: “Why actually democracy matters? The most important thing is that it brings quite easy possibility for people to replace government that they are not satisfied with in regular elections. It brings also open public debate which helps to find the best solutions to economic and social problems. And this opened public debate together with distribution of power prevents from “power abuse” which is crucial for building social capital, which means trust among people. Also, it brings better possibilities for innovation, which means realization of potential of every citizen in the country”.

The study on the state of democracy in the Republic of Moldova was conducted based on several sociological tools, applied between January and April. Thus, in order to find out what the people in the country think about the situation of democracy, an opinion poll was conducted at national level on a sample of 1,384 people, organized focus groups, surveyed experts and representatives from the diaspora. Thus, only 6.6% of citizens believe that the elections in the Republic of Moldova were free and fair, and the country is led by the will of the people - one of the lowest levels in the last 15 years. At the same time, 43.1% of citizens consider that the state of democracy is bad, compared to 28.7% of citizens who have a more or less positive impression, and the majority of citizens (67.6%) believe that democracy in the country it is determined by the quality of life.

At the same time, in the opinion of the participants in the focus groups, in our country the freedom of justice, equality before the law does not work, corruption in public institutions persists and there is a lack of trust in the future. It is largely believed that politicians do not act in the interests of citizens, but rather in the interests of individuals or groups. And according to the citizens of the diaspora, the factors that most influence the quality of democracy in the Republic of Moldova are the protection of human rights, the involvement of citizens in public affairs, the quality of NGOs and the freedom of the media.

"We have rich countries that are not democratic, but we do not have any poor countries that are democratic. And our citizens, who are subject to subsistence, admit that unfortunately, they do not have time to think about social values, and poverty and poor living standards greatly influence the state of democracy. Our daily problems simply do not allow us to think about democratic values", says economist Veaceslav Ioniță.

Most respondents consider that the situation of democracy in the Republic of Moldova has remained unchanged in the last five years (28%). The events of the last five years have had a negative influence on the quality of democracy in the Republic of Moldova, and in this sense, bank fraud is considered to be the one that has most affected democracy in Moldova. Most respondents rated this event with the most negative impact. In second place is the resignation of the Maia Sandu Government. Even if some survey participants appreciated this positively, the vast majority of respondents considered that this event had a very negative influence on the quality of democracy in the country, the state of democracy report also shows.

Regarding the role of state institutions in promoting democracy in the Republic of Moldova, in the opinion of citizens, the greatest impact has civil society (38%) and the media. The public media enjoys a positive appreciation from 41.7% of respondents, while 33.6% of citizens believe that the private media has a positive role in promoting democratic values ​​in our country. At the opposite pole are the courts and the General Prosecutor's Office. Therefore, 44.5% of those interviewed believe that the courts have a negative role in promoting democracy.

When asked how democracy is seen in the Republic of Moldova compared to neighboring countries, the results show visible divergences in the assessment of the state of democracy by experts, the diaspora and the population. The point of contention is the Russian Federation. While experts appreciate the state of democracy in Russia extremely poor, the population considers that things in Russia are relatively good and the level of democracy is much higher than in Moldova. However, among all categories of respondents, there are two clear consensus: Romania is the only country in the region, which is positively appreciated in terms of democracy by all groups interviewed. Also, all categories of respondents believe that there is more democracy in Moldova compared to Ukraine, but less than in Romania.

Asked what would contribute to improving the quality of democracy in the Republic of Moldova in the long term, citizens who participated in focus groups believe that the level of democracy will improve if people concerned with the needs of the population come to lead the country. However, others believe that the level of democracy on the contrary will decrease in the coming years because things are deteriorating and young people are going abroad. And in the opinion of the diaspora representatives, the elimination of poverty, the independence of the regulatory institutions and the economic development of the country will improve the quality of democracy in our country.

"The well-being of the country and of every citizen is strictly determined by the quality of democracy in the country. Therefore, protecting the fundamental elements of a state with a high quality of democracy is the guarantee of the well-being of every citizen. In order to improve the quality of democracy in the Republic of Moldova, first of all, it is necessary for politicians to be more responsible, laws to work better, the level of corruption to be reduced, people to be more informed and active. A responsible and efficient government is indispensable for a rule of law with democratic principles and values ​​in action ", believes the economist Diana Enachi.

The authors recommend to the authorities, but also to citizens and civil society a series of measures that would improve the state of democracy in the Republic of Moldova. These measures include improving the capacity of the authorities to develop and implement measures to prevent corruption; ensuring the independence and transparency of the judiciary; avoiding populist messages by political parties; active and permanent monitoring of the transparency, efficiency and integrity of public institutions; ensuring motivating and decent salaries; active involvement of citizens in public affairs and strengthening investigative journalism.

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The initiative "Supporting democracy, independence and transparency of key public institutions in Moldova" is implemented by the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives (IDIS) "Viitorul", in partnership with the Institute for Economic and Social Reforms in Slovakia (INEKO) and is financially supported by the Official Development Assistance Program of the Slovak Republic (SlovakAid). The initiative aims to inform the public about the development of democracy and the independence of key state institutions, as well as to improve the transparency and financial stability of local public authorities and state-owned enterprises in the Republic of Moldova.

For details, contact Ana – Maria Veverita: ana.veverita@viitorul.org or at phone number (0 22) 221844

Citizens perceive the European Union as the country's main development partner and German Chancellor Angela Merkel as the most influential person in the European space. Corruption, wages, pensions, and jobs are the main concerns for the population. These are the results of the People Watch survey, executed by CBS-AXA, at the command of the IDIS Institute "Viitorul".

The People Watch survey was conducted on a sample of 1,091 people from 7 to 25 April this year.

Thus, 52% of the respondents said that the EU is the most helping Republic of Moldova, followed by Romania - 23%, Russia - 17% and the USA - 12.1%. Almost two-thirds of respondents said that financial resources should be geared to the development of the economy so that they create the most benefit for citizens and the country. At the same time, only 17% of the citizens said that road and bridge construction and repair projects were implemented in their locality and almost a third said that the financier is the European Union.

Survey data show a worrying trend in the country, with 75% of respondents believing that the Republic of Moldova is heading in the wrong direction, compared to 14%, who believe that the country is going in the right direction. About 62% of survey participants - are not too satisfied or not at all satisfied with the way they live, while 14.3% are satisfied. Survey data also shows that poverty has increased in recent years so that about 73.6% of those surveyed are on the verge of despair due to precarious means of subsistence and 8.2% are well positioned at the top of the welfare pyramid.

Political developments also show some surprises. The poll reveals that 54.5% of the population does not trust a well-known Moldovan politician, twice the rating of the most popular politician. Among current politicians, Igor Dodon maintains a 22% confidence, followed by Maia Sandu by 6.2%. The uninominal vote, promoted with great insistence in 2017, is only agreed by a quarter of the survey participants. Voting on party lists is approved by 33.8% of Moldovans.

The research launched today by IDIS The "People Watch" is measuring issues of increased public interest. The questionnaire also included a number of issues related to the political preferences of Moldovans. The national survey was administered by CBS Axa Company from 7 to 25 April on a sample of 1091 people with a margin of error of plus-minus 2.8%.

The publication can be downloaded here.

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

Corruption, wages, pensions and jobs and billions theft are the main issues that worry Moldovans. These are the results of the survey conducted by "CBS-AXA", commissioned by IDIS "Viitorul" on a sample of 1110 people between January 18 to 27 this year.

Thus, 53% of Moldovans surveyed were dissatisfied with corruption, salaries, jobs and the billion theft - 43%.

Regarding the economic situation in the country, 42.8% of Moldovans are not satisfied, 37.5% - not too satisfied and only 0.9% were satisfied by the economic situation in the country.
Also, 56% of respondents stated that they are not too satisfied or not at all by the way they live, while 17.6% are fairly satisfied with the way they live. The poll shows that 73.6% of respondents are close to despair and only 8,2% at the pinnacle of wealth.

The product launched today by IDIS “Viitorul” is the first issue of the of new research product "People Watch", which will measure the thematic areas of high public interest. The survey included also a number of issues relates to the positioning of candidates registered in the election race. The national poll was administered by CBS-AXA in the period January 18 to 27 on a sample of 1,110 people with a margin of error of plus or minus 3%.

The publication (available only in Romanian) can be downloaded here.

For further details, please contact the Press officer, Victor Ursu at ursu.victoor@gmail.com or by phone 069 017 396.