Republic of Moldova: the year 2015 in politics

Abstract

The year 2015 was a long and deep political crisis in the Republic of Moldova, caused by the public announcement that Moldavian banks were missing a billion dollars. The first major protest took place on February 22, 2015. After the demonstration on September 6, protesters occupied the Grand Assembly Square, setting up a tent camp. Shortly after, it was replicated by another tent camp, a few hundred meters away, in front of Parliament, organized by the pro-Russian parties. Between the first rally in February and September, demands have evolved from investigation of the billion dollar theft to demanding the resignation of the general prosecutor. The lack of reaction from the establishment, not impressed by the greatest wave of protest, radicalized the mob that demanded in September the resignation of the government and of the President. The political crisis erupted after October 15, when the former PM Filat’s immunity was lifted by the Parliament and the Streleț government was brought down by a censure motion. The most controversial public personality in Moldova, oligarch Vladimir Plakhotniuk wanted to became PM which generated a new wave of protests in Chișinău. Plakhotniuk created a new majority in the Parliament for promoting his candidacy, but President Timofti refused to nominate the controversial oligarch. In the very last moment, Mr. Pavel Filip, a close associate of Plakhotniuk, was nominated and voted by the Parliament as the PM of the Republic of Moldova.