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MoldovaPolitical Realignment
Lucinschi's election on February 4, 1993, to the
leading
position in Parliament marked the peak of a process of
political
realignment in Moldova. By early 1993, the Popular Front,
now
named the Christian Democratic Popular Front (CDPF) was in
neartotal disarray. Moderate intellectuals (such as Mosanu),
who had
added tremendously to the prestige of the Popular Front
during
its early years, organized the "Congress of Intellectuals"
in
order to promote a nationalistic, but less extreme,
agenda. As a
result, they were expelled from the CDPF in mid-May.
As a consequence of factionalism and defection, the
CDPF's
voting strength in Parliament was reduced to approximately
twenty-five deputies. With the CDPF in decline, power
shifted to
the bloc of Democratic Agrarian Party of Moldova deputies
(the
Viata Satului legislative club), which, with support from
independent deputies, was able to play a dominant role in
Parliament.
Lucinschi's election and the realignment of forces
among the
deputies brought Parliament into much closer alignment
with
President Snegur and Prime Minister Sangheli's government
on the
ethnic conflict. As a consequence, Moldova was better
positioned
than it had been in the previous two years to end the
infighting
that had characterized its political life during that
time. There
was hope that Moldova's leaders would be able to resolve
the
ongoing civil conflict, which had, of necessity, been the
dominant issue in the republic since its inception, and to
proceed with the reforms that Moldova so desperately
needed.
At the same time, the realignment moved Moldova's
government
into a more conservative position with respect to economic
and
political reform, marginalizing legislators who were
elected as
opposition candidates and vesting more power in the hands
of
those who were originally elected as representatives of
the CPM.
In particular, the realignment gave near-veto power to the
bloc
of Democratic Agrarian Party of Moldova deputies, many of
whom
were state and collective farm presidents. Although the
great
majority of these individuals supported democratic
politics, the
strength of their commitment to the transition to a market
economy was questionable.
Despite the powerful combination of government, the
presidency, and Lucinschi's parliamentary leadership
working in
harmony, the hopelessly tangled web of factions and
rivalries
within Parliament could not be overcome, and legislation
ground
to a halt. The pro-Romanian faction objected, but a vote
was
taken to dissolve parliament and hold early Parliamentary
elections.
Data as of June 1995
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