DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNMENT ASSESSMENT-MOLDOVA (Term Paper Sample)

DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNMENT ASSESSMENT-MOLDOVA Student’s Name Student Admission # Class Prof Date Democracy and Governance Assessment–Moldova The recent state of democracy and development in Moldova has ignited interest from researchers. As such, this study seeks to add to literature on democracy and governance in the country. Consequently, assessment questions are essential for democracy and governance valuation because they guide the whole process and determine what one should be looking for. Assessments vary according to the thematic areas they address, based on the interests, culture, and needs of the person undertaking it. They should elicit answers and help measure the degree to which democracy’s principles have been attained. Assessment questions in this assignment will help address different aspects of political systems under democracy in Chisinau, Moldova, which is the thematic area that this research will focus on. The final project was structured based on the six questions that were formulated to inform the structure of the report. Notably, Moldova is a democratic country focused on protecting the rights and freedoms of its people as outlined in the constitution. As such, the country has achieved democracy for all people as evidenced through challenges in the voter system and inclusion of minorities in local and national discussions on issues that touch on their lives. How effective are the political systems in Chisinau, Moldova, in influencing citizens’ democracy? Chisinau enjoys effective political systems with an efficient governance reform agenda. The agenda includes reforming public administration, promoting decentralization, and fighting corruption. However, these efforts face challenges in implementing the ambitious agenda. Some of the challenges include uncertainty on the next parliamentary election and the extent to which constitutional reforms will be conducted. Additionally, the measures required to enhance government are unpopular. The budget deficit and economic crisis also result in inadequate resources for delivering the appropriate services. Therefore, this means that the political systems are committed to ensuring democracy and reforms that promote democracy. However, the country lacks adequate resources to ensure the implementation of such reforms. The country relies on an outdated and large bureaucracy, limiting the possibility of good governance being established. Much of the system is similar to the Soviet past and it adheres to Voronin’s rule in eight years. There are few factors that promote good governance, and this has greatly influenced the people’s democracy. For instance, salaries are low and job security is dependent on economic, personal, and party relations. Additionally, there are hardly any efforts of public demand for better governance. As such, this compromises the democracy of the people due to lack of governance, leaving them frustrated. The frustration arises from the government’s lack of capacity at the different levels to implement programs through strategic thinking. Consequently, the political systems in the country are aligned to benefit the political leaders and parties without adequate consideration of the people and their involvement in the democracy of the country. The political systems also lack consultation, transparency, and information sharing in almost all levels of governance. There is a lack of communication in the government and also between the government and its people, and this hinders effective democratic engagements between the government and the people. Such crucial issues should be addressed as to enable the people enjoy democracy and also for the government to implement its reforms without losing public trust and support. The reform process should ensure proper coordination across all government sectors and cut in social and other programing to ensure the public understands the reforms. Currently, the governance has failed to protect the democracy of the people due to poor political systems, and this has led to approximately 44% of the citizens wishing to rejoin the USSR if it were possible. As such, this shows that the political systems in the country have utterly frustrated the people by denying them the chance to enjoy different forms of democracy and their democratic rights. The political systems and structures in place have also increased the distance between the people and the government. This is mainly due to the fact that the political systems and government are highly centralized both at the local and national government levels. This has also hindered the people from freely enjoyed such freedoms as influencing the government on matters that affect their affairs. Initially, relationship between the people and the government was stronger as local councils and mayors were directly elected by the people, thus giving them an opportunity to enjoy their democracy regarding choosing the leader of their choice. However, the relationship is lost and the people no longer enjoy such democracy as local projects and initiatives by the government due to the disconnection between the two. To what extent do the political systems in Chisinau, Moldova, offer decision-making opportunities for all citizens in that area, including the poor? Issues of consensus in the Chisinau are integrally connected with challenge of inclusion. Despite the legal frameworks and constitution guaranteeing equal rights for all people, there are various challenges with inclusion and the independence of the people in decision-making across all sectors in the Moldovan society, economy, and polity. Notably, approximately 75% of the Moldovan population is of Romanian decent and they mainly speak Moldovan while the remaining 25%, the minorities, mainly speak Russian. However, politicians have been established to call the language Romanian instead of Moldovan as a way of sparking national debate and creating uneasiness among the Russian speakers. The move is seen as a way of influencing the Romanian speakers and inciting them against the minority. As such, this interferes with the freedom of free decision-making among the people. The political systems have led to the isolation of the Gagauz minority, which represent 4% of the population, from the national society and polity. They speak Turkish but Russian is their primary language for employment, education, and government. Such national institutions as the courts use Russian in Gagauz Yeri, but everything is translated into the state language so as to ease record keeping and ensuring effective communication. However, the Gagauz are opposed to the interference of their autonomy as they do not want their language renamed. As such, this implies that the political system in place is interfering with the autonomy of such minority groups as the Gagauz as their decision to keep their language is highly compromised. The systems allow for translation of documents to the national language without consultation with the minority groups. Additionally, there are plans to rename the minority groups, something that does not sit well with them due to the interference it has on their autonomy. Discrimination is also practiced in the society despite being prohibited in the law. In this society, Roma are among the groups that are disadvantaged. A report by the State Department of Human Rights shows that they are exposed to harassment, violence, and discrimination, which includes being denied access to employment and healthcare. The official number of Roma is reported as 11,600, but NGO reports have established that there are over 250,000 Roma in the society. 80% of them are illiterate, and this explains why they are isolated and discriminated against by the political system instead of supporting their freedom in decision-making. There are also other small ethnic minorities such as Ukrainians, Russians, Jews, and Poles that have their own associations and live separately. However, they are also isolated from national decision making and discussions even on matters affecting their welfare. Additionally, despite the freedom of religion being observed, the Moldovan Orthodox Church enjoys special privileges and status that are not granted to other religions, such as the Church leader’s diplomatic passport. Therefore, such issues further highlight the extent to which the political systems interfere with the independence of the people in decision-making. It shows how minorities are excluded from national and local debates and discussions and deprived of certain privileges that are accorded to others in the society. What measures have been taken to ensure that the population of Chisinau in entirety influence decision-making, thus fostering democracy? Moldova showed its commitment to protecting the rights of the people by becoming a member state of the Council of Europe in 1995. In 1997, it signed the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, thus submitting to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights. Initially, the aim of submitting under this jurisdiction was to ensure that Moldova remained committed to the protection of human rights within its jurisdiction. However, the ECHR judgments that have been made against Moldova in the recent past have resulted in Moldova making fundamental changes to the manner in which justice is administered. One of such changes was adopting a rather adversarial criminal justice in 2003. Despite the changes made, most of the prosecutors and judges who work today were trained during the inquisitorial criminal justice system under the Soviet. As such, they retain the same legal culture and approach that they were trained. During that system, the Communist Party controlled the criminal justice and judges remained instructions on how cases were to be resolved. They were directed by prosecutors and party leaders. As such, this has led to interfe...