NDI - Moldova

Making Streets Safer for Blind Citizens in Soroca, Moldova

njankowicz — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 14:46:33 +0000

Without a special traffic light that emits an audible signal, people who are blind or have low vision may risk their lives by the simple act of crossing streets. Such audible signals are expensive, particularly in Moldova, which is Europe’s poorest country. A civic group in Soroca, a city in northern Moldova, didn’t let this stop them. Thanks to their successful advocacy, the quality of life for Soroca’s large community of blind citizens is improving and inspiring further community involvement.

Members of the blind and low vision community in Soroca, Moldova, meet to discuss issues they face in their community.

Identifying the Issues

During the Soviet period, the government established a residential facility for blind citizens in Soroca. Today, this community encompasses over 250 individuals, including an active civic group, The Association of Blind People, which has worked with NDI since 2014 to advocate for solutions to problems facing their community. Led by NDI civic organizer Ala Taran, the initiative group went door-to-door to discuss local issues with more than 100 blind people in the neighborhood. The priority issue of people surveyed was the lack of traffic lights with audible signals at a busy intersection. In the past two years, there were several accidents and four fatalities involving people who were blind or who had low vision crossing the street. The issue was urgent and pressing for the community and local government had done nothing to address it.

Cooperating with Local Authorities

NDI’s Moldova team equips local civic groups with the tools, methods and a process to solve problems like this. The group in Soroca petitioned the local government and developed a strategy to advocate for a solution. Success was not immediate. The group members attended local council meetings and wrote letters to elected officials, but the authorities did not respond. The group persevered, turning to local media to raise awareness and gain greater public support. After a second petition to the authorities and an article in local media the local government installed a traffic light with an audible signal to help blind people safely cross the intersection in their neighborhood.

Maintaining the Momentum

The initiative group maintained the momentum of their successful advocacy campaign and continued to propose changes to the neighborhood, including the installation of street lights and sidewalk repairs. After two months of advocacy, the government responded; Soroca now has street lights and sidewalk repairs are underway.

The successes have energized Soroca’s blind community, which was demoralized as Soviet era and even post Soviet services for blind people have contracted with Moldova’s economy. Now these citizens are more empowered to advocate for their rights and contribute to positive changes. They are active in local debates, regularly petition the mayor and communicate with the public. As Ala Taran explained, “From the very beginning group members were not sure that they could achieve anything and had doubts while advocating for their issue. After they resolved the first issue, they became more enthusiastic and motivated and now are willing to do more and more for their community. They understand that they have power and can influence decisions at the local level.”

NDI and its civic partners are organizing similar advocacy campaigns throughout the country. By applying NDI’s methodology of citizen outreach and engagement, the groups are achieving success that will inspire other citizens to create change their communities.

Published on April 4, 2016

Moldovans' Public Perceptions of Politics and Government: Results of NDI's November 2015 Public Opinion Research

njankowicz — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 21:24:17 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

12/18/2015

Resource Type:

Report

Language:

English

Moldovans are increasingly frustrated and cynical, according to a nationwide NDI survey released in December 2015.

Moldovans are increasingly frustrated and cynical, according to a nationwide NDI survey released this week. Since NDI’s last poll in March 2015, there is a large jump in the number who believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, with the deteriorating economic situation and corruption cited as the top concerns. All current party and government leaders have net negative ratings. Established leaders across the political spectrum consistently fare worse than newer entrants to electoral politics, as frustration with the status quo overrides other issues.

In addition to a deep desire for improved leadership, particularly at the national level, the data reflects continued support for democratic values. As in earlier NDI polls, Moldovans cite accountability, free elections, and freedom of speech as important principles. The public, however, needs to see greater responsiveness from officials and respect for the rule of law for confidence in public institutions to increase.

Mayors and local councils, however, continue to enjoy a comparatively high level of trust. Local officials are leading by example by communicating with constituents and responding to citizens’ needs.

NDI has been working in Moldova since 2003 to strengthen political accountability and promote civic activism. NDI’s public opinion research serves to inform parties, international actors, and civil society about citizens’ needs, concerns, and priority issues.

English

Attachment	Size
Download the full survey results	3.65 MB

NDI Mourns the Accidental Death of Trainer Andrei Panici

jfrant — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 20:20:32 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

12/01/2015

Resource Type:

Statement

Language:

English

NDI mourns the passing of Andrei Panici, a long time senior consultant to NDI's Moldova office. Andrei, who was 34, died in a hiking accident in Romania on Sunday, November 29.

Andrei's energy and intellect were an invaluable asset within Moldova's growing community of democrats. He was a passionate and versatile political organizer, a trainer, role model and inspiration to parties and civic groups alike. With an unusually broad range of talents, Andrei wore many hats at NDI, serving as a political and civic trainer since 2009. In addition, he led other democratic-oriented training programs for the British Embassy and Black Sea Trust as well as a highly-successful debate club with a large audience throughout Moldova. He will be deeply missed by NDI’s Moldova-based and D.C. staff. Our deepest sympathies to his wife, friends and family.

“Andrei was a crucial member of our team in Moldova. The best words to describe him were mercurial, lively, intelligent and quick.” said Andrew Young, NDI’s resident country director in Moldova. “There was never a dull moment with Andrei and our office will be much quieter without him. His commitment to democracy in Moldova was second to none and not only will NDI miss him, but so will his country. The Moldovan team has lost Andrei but will always be together in spirit. Andrei will always be watching over us to make sure we continue our vital work in Moldova.”

English

Findings from recent research in Moldova, including a nationwide survey and focus groups of November 2014 parliamentary voters

blesswing — Mon, 18 May 2015 18:40:31 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

05/18/2015

Resource Type:

Report

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Download the full survey results	2.23 MB

New Research Shows Moldovans Are Change-Oriented and Want Results

blesswing — Mon, 18 May 2015 18:28:33 +0000

Voters in Moldova check-in at a local polling station to receive their ballots during the November, 2014 elections.

In the lead up to next month’s local elections, Moldovans are deeply dissatisfied with the performance of parties across the political spectrum. According to an NDI public opinion survey conducted in March, Moldovans are frustrated that they receive little information, much less solutions to their problems, from parties and government.

The June vote comes at a time of significant disruption in Moldova and renewed tensions between Russia and the West. In parliamentary elections last November, parties that claimed to be pro-democratic and pro-European lost their long-standing parliamentary majority. As a result, many see the local elections as a bellwether of Moldova’s future.

Read the full survey results

Moldovans believe their lives have gotten worse over the past year. Unemployment, poverty, low salaries and their devalued currency are cited as the primary problems of most households. However, unlike in previous polls, corruption is considered the most pressing problem facing the country, another indication of growing anger at unaccountable elected officials.

On the local level, voters want improvements in infrastructure, such as roads, street lighting and sanitation services. These key issues will be very important in the June local election campaigns when voters will want to hear candidates talk about their parties’ results on issues of importance, such as the economy and fighting corruption, and show an ability to listen. Moldovans also say they want to see more women and youth participate in politics.

On the international front, Moldovans are ambivalent about relationships with Europe and Russia. For example, they are evenly split on whether they would vote for joining the European Union or the Eurasian Customs Union. However, support for the government taking a pro-Russia position is the lowest it has been over the last two years. Many Moldovans do not know where the government stands on this key issue -- a sign of both an information vacuum and the tensions within the fragile coalition government. The parties making up the current governing coalition ran on pro-European platforms, but they have since announced that they are “slowing down the European agenda.”

For results of the poll, which was conducted by Lake Research Partners and IMAS with NDI support, please see here.

Sandra Pepera

skincaid — Tue, 14 Apr 2015 18:41:17 +0000

Sandra Pepera is a career diplomat and international development professional. Before joining NDI as its director for Gender, Women and Democracy in 2014, she spent thirteen years as a senior officer at the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), including leading programs in the Caribbean, Rwanda-Burundi and Sudan. Prior to joining DFID, Sandra spent time in British domestic politics; lecturing in political science and international relations at the University of Ghana; and as a political analyst in the Political Affairs Division at the Commonwealth Secretariat. She has a portfolio of skills and experience which include strategy development, political and risk analysis, diplomacy, general management and corporate governance.

Much of Sandra’s career has been spent working in or on transitional economies, focusing on the building of resilient and inclusive institutions. She led work on women and politics at the University of Ghana and in outreach public policy during the period of intense and unstable political transition in the early 1990s. This included participating in a program that supported the ANC Women’s League during South Africa’s transition from apartheid to majority democratic rule in 1993.

Sandra is a member of the Cambridge Sustainability Leaders Network, the Royal Commonwealth Society, the Global Board Ready Women initiative, and the International Advisory Board of the Commonwealth Journal for International Affairs (the Round Table). She holds the Financial Times Diploma for Non-Executive Directors, and serves as a trustee for the pension fund of an intergovernmental organization.

Moldovans Want More Communication from Elected Officials, Poll Says

Tue, 02 Sep 2014 22:03:10 +0000

Recent public opinion polling by NDI in Moldova shows that economic issues–such as unemployment, corruption and poverty–continue to dominate Moldovans’ concerns for the country.

A large majority of respondents are dissatisfied with the level of information they have regarding the country’s economy (75 percent) and national security (71 percent). This suggests that the government and parties need to do a better job communicating with citizens, including on issues such as the European Union Association Agreement, a key foreign policy priority of the current government.

Underscoring the opportunity that exists for parties that can effectively describe their policy solutions to citizens, the survey showed most voters are still deciding for whom to vote in parliamentary elections scheduled for Nov. 30. Only 29 percent of respondents are firmly committed to voting for a particular party.

The poll also revealed a shift in Moldovans’ stance on international relations. Support for a pro-Russian foreign policy dropped from 46 percent to 28 percent between February and June, a period coinciding with Russian aggression in Ukraine. The poll also showed that nearly half of Moldovans (47 percent) believe the country’s association agreement with the European Union is beneficial for the country, and negative sentiment toward the agreement has fallen 9 points since February.

In early August, NDI held consultations with key political party and government leaders to present the results of the public opinion research.

NDI conducts periodic opinion research in Moldova with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The polling is part of a larger effort to help the Moldovan government and political parties better understand and respond to the needs and concerns of Moldovan citizens. Read the full poll results here.

Moldovan National Public Opinion | Create Infographics

Published Sept. 3, 2014

Public Perceptions of Politics and Government in Moldova

Tue, 02 Sep 2014 22:01:08 +0000

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

08/02/2014

Resource Type:

Poll

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
LRP Analysis of Survey Findings - NDI Moldova Public Version 082614.pdf	2.38 MB

Empowering Women for Stronger Political Parties: A Good Practices Guide to Promote Women's Political Participation (Now available in Burmese)

fstovall — Fri, 21 Mar 2014 14:31:07 +0000

Author:

Julie Ballington

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute United Nations Development Programme

Published Date:

10/31/2011

Resource Type:

Manual|Handbook

Language:

Arabic, Burmese, English, French, Russian, Spanish, Urdu

English

Arabic

French

Spanish

Russian

Urdu

Attachment	Size
Read the manual (English)	2.49 MB
Read the manual with case studies (English)	3.45 MB
Read the manual (Arabic)	1.9 MB
Download the poster (Arabic)	1.18 MB
Read the manual (Burmese)	4.59 MB
Read the manual (French)	2.57 MB
Download the poster (French)	670.54 KB
Read the manual (Russian)	2.82 MB
Download the poster (Russian)	256.16 KB
Read the manual (Spanish)	2.59 MB
Download the poster (Spanish)	680.95 KB
Read the manual (Urdu)	3.74 MB
Read the manual with case studies (Albanian)	10.91 MB

Equal Access: How to Include Persons with Disabilities in Elections and Political Processes

dleonard — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 14:59:44 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute, International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

03/06/2014

Resource Type:

Manual|Handbook

Language:

Arabic, English, French, Indonesian, Russian, Spanish, Uzbek

English

Arabic

Spanish

Russian

Attachment	Size
Download the manual in Arabic	2.54 MB
Download the manual in English	3.24 MB
Download the manual in French	2.36 MB
Download the manual in Indonesian	16.34 MB
Download the manual in Russian	2.37 MB
Download the manual in Spanish	16.87 MB
Download the manual in Uzbek	3.85 MB

Increasing Women’s Political Participation Through Effective Training Programs: A Guide to Best Practices and Lessons Learned

fstovall — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 20:08:23 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

10/23/2013

Resource Type:

Training Manual

Language:

Arabic, English, French, Russian, Spanish

English

Arabic

French

Spanish

Russian

Attachment	Size
Download the manual (English)	994.16 KB
Download the manual (français)	1.02 MB
Download the manual (РУС)	1.31 MB
Download the manual (español)	1.08 MB
Download the manual (بالعربية)	787.23 KB

Moldovan Civic Organizations Voice Concern Over New Laws on Judges and Thresholds for Party Representation in Parliament

dleonard — Fri, 10 May 2013 17:44:50 +0000

Members of Moldovan civil society have joined together to condemn a series of new laws that would allow parliament to remove constitutional court judges and that raise the threshold percentage of votes necessary for political parties to enter parliament, eliminating smaller parties. The organizations cautioned that the laws, passed on May 3 with “excess speed” and with no opportunity for public review or discussion, would have a “negative impact on the rule of law,” and that the new thresholds would “severely limit the rights of voters and of electoral contestants.” They go on to say that amendments allowing parliament to revoke the mandate of Constitutional Court judges, who rule on the constitutionality of laws, are “openly unconstitutional” and “severely affect the principle of separation of powers.”

The organizations appealed to President Nicolae Timofti and members of parliament to reject the recent changes and take steps to foster greater transparency in the legislative process, such as making the text of important bills public prior to voting. They also asked that political parties redirect their focus to political party and campaign finance reform rather than allowing their partisan disagreements to “jeopardize the national interests of Moldova.” Moldova has been seeking to sign an association agreement with the European Union this fall. The European Parliament’s rapporteur for Moldova said on May 15 that the current political crisis, of which the news laws are a part, makes this “highly unlikely.”

Among the signatories of both statements is Promo-LEX, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization which has previously received support from NDI to conduct long and short-term election monitoring in Moldova.

Read the statement by the Civil Coalition for Free and Fair Elections on changes to the electoral threshold»

Read the statement on changes in the justice system»

Published May 10, 2013

Updated May 22, 2013

Declaration of Global Principles for Nonpartisan Election Observation and Monitoring by Citizen Organizations and Code of Conduct for Nonpartisan Citizen Election Observers and Monitors

fstovall — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 19:06:44 +0000

Publisher:

United Nations

Published Date:

04/03/2012

Resource Type:

Declaration

Language:

Arabic, Bangla, English, French, Mongolian, Romanian Russian, Spanish

English

Arabic

French

Spanish

Romanian

Russian

Attachment	Size
Read the declaration (Arabic)	267.58 KB
Read the declaration (English)	897.79 KB
Read the declaration (Bangla)	8.27 MB
Read the declaration (Burmese)	302.33 KB
Read the declaration (French)	327.02 KB
Read the declaration (Indonesian)	16.61 MB
Read the declaration (Mongolian)	345.97 KB
Read the declaration (Romanian)	275.41 KB
Read the declaration (Russian)	286.22 KB
Read the declaration (Spanish)	326.57 KB
Read the declaration (Urdu)	370.99 KB

Importance of Authentic Elections and Unhindered Election Observation Stressed at OSCE Warsaw Meeting

fstovall — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 19:03:47 +0000

Statements on the importance of genuine, competitive elections, the need for election observation and follow up were presented last week on behalf of the United States by Patrick Merloe, NDI’s director of electoral programs, at the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM) of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Warsaw, Poland.

At the opening plenary session of the Warsaw meeting. Photo by OSCE/Piotr Markowski

The gathering, which brings together hundreds of government representatives, human rights activists and international experts, is considered the most important human rights event of the year in the OSCE region. Merloe was a public member of the U.S. delegation, which was led by Ambassador David Johnson.

Merloe presented the two statements on Sept. 30. The first noted that “free and fair elections are a necessary part of a healthy democracy” but added that “technically well-run polling does not mean that the election process is democratic." He emphasized that “a genuine electoral process also requires an open pre-election environment in which citizens can participate fully, political parties can operate freely, independent media can flourish, and an independent judicial system operates effectively.” The statement assessed the character of recent elections in several OSCE countries, including negative elections in Belarus, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan and generally positive elections in Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and Macedonia.

The second statement addressed the importance of the overall election environment in determining whether an election meets OSCE standards and concluded by stressing that, "The United States supports OSCE election observation. ... We also believe that follow-up to recommendations made by the observer mission is very important."

Merloe also responded to a question from the chairman of Russia's Central Election Commission, who was speaking for the Russian delegation, about why observers are needed. "The Copenhagen Document [which contains OSCE commitments on democratic elections] and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provide a clear answer,” Merloe said. “They both say that the authority of government derives from the will of the people expressed in genuine elections. So, citizens, in effect, own elections, because that is where sovereignty truly resides. Citizens have the right to know that their elections are genuine. Hence, domestic observers are needed."

Read more:

Published Oct. 5, 2011

NDI Deplores Violence in Moldova and Calls for Dialogue to Resolve Disputes

fstovall — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 18:39:53 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

04/16/2009

Resource Type:

Press Release

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Read the release	81.16 KB