Moldova's government has failed to capitalize on the promises of the 2009 "Twitter Revolution" and 2014 signing of an Association Agreement with the European Union. Since then, Chisinau's backsliding on democracy has accelerated. Illiberal politicians and oligarchs at home, as well as the Russian government, are undermining the country's democratic transition. In today's Moldova, rule of law is declining, space for free media is narrowing, and pressure on civil society is growing. A controversial new election law marked the country's shift from a flawed democracy to a hybrid regime. Moldova is a captured state. The government corruption that is crippling society remains endemic. Kleptocratic officials are using the state to accumulate wealth and cement their power with impunity. The government's annulling of the results of the 2018 Chisinau mayoral elections, won freely and fairly by an opposition candidate, was a brazen violation of democratic principles. The result is a crisis of credible politics and growing fear in society. Additionally, Moscow is using Moldova as a money-laundering platform, flooding it with disinformation, and maintaining the "frozen conflict" in Transnistria to forestall the country's European integration. Nevertheless, Moldova's society is resilient. Citizens continue to cherish their democratic rights and freedoms. They are ready to defend them in pursuit of long sought happiness, prosperity, and security within the European family of nations.
We, the participants of Forum 2000 and the International Coalition for Democratic Renewal, therefore:
- Declare our support for Moldova's democratic, pro-European path.
- Condemn the anti-democratic actions taken by the Moldovan government.
- Call on the international community to closely monitor and staunchly address Moldova's democratic backsliding.
- Insist that Russia cease undermining Moldova's democratic transition and European integration.
- Support greater assistance to Moldova's democratic political opposition, civil society, and independent media.
- Demand that individual sanctions within the Global Magnitsky Act to be applied to authoritarian kleptocrats in the Moldovan government.
- Support a free, fair, and transparent process for Moldova's upcoming parliamentary elections.
Jakub Klepal, Czech Republic
Carl Gershman, USA
Igor Blaževič, Czech Republic
Leszek Jażdżewski, Poland
João Carlos Espada, Portugal
Ralf Fücks, Germany
Miriam Lexman, Slovakia
Mike Abramowitz, USA
Olin Wethington, USA
Martin Palouš, Czech Republic
Šimon Pánek, Czech Republic
Petr Mucha, Czech Republic
Hasler Iglesias, Venezuela
Suzanne Nossel, USA
Joshua Muravchik, USA
Zamira Sydykova, Kyrgyzstan
Ramin Jahanbegloo, Iran/Canada
Andrea Papus Ngombet Malewa, Republic of the Congo
Francisak Viacorka, Belarus
Tomáš Halík, Czech Republic
Alberto Vergara, Peru
Miriam Lanskoy, USA
Miriam Kornblith, Venezuela
Rafael E. Rincón-Urdaneta Z. , Chile/Venezuela
Alina Aflecailor, Romania
Yevhen Hlibovytsky, Ukraine
Haykuhi Harutyunyan, Armenia
Martin Bútora, Slovakia
Andrej Nosov, Serbia
