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2007 to be "year of democracy"; Pridnestrovie parliament plans reforms
Pridnestrovie will abolish minimum rules for voter turnout as part of a ground-breaking package of electoral reforms. Another change will make it easier for small parties to get seats in parliament. Opposition politicians have announced that 2007 will be "the year of democracy."
Ilona Turyaeva, MP for leading opposition party Renewal, assures that 2007 will be "the year of democracy" in PridnestrovieTIRASPOL (Tiraspol Times) - Among its first acts for 2007, Pridnestrovie's parliament will study changes to the country's election rules. The democratically elected 43-member Supreme Council, Pridnestrovie's legislature, has put electoral reform at the top of its legislative agenda for this year, promising reforms which will bring local laws in line with European standards.
Leading the proposed reforms is an elimination of the minimum threshold for voter turnout which is required for an election to be declared valid. Currently, a referendum or a presidential election requires a minimum turnout of at least 50% of all registered voters. Local elections and elections for parliament require 25%.
" - But the politically active shouldn't suffer because of the behavior of the politically indifferent," explained a lawmaker to Tiraspol's online news agency PMR News.
More reforms are on the way, too, for 2007. Among them: A switch to proportional representation where voters pick their candidates from a party ticket. The new electoral system aims to deliver a closer match between the percentage of votes that groups of candidates (grouped by parties) obtain in elections and the percentage of seats which they receive in the 43 member parliament. This is contrasted to the current plurality voting system, where disproportional seat distribution results from the division of voters into multiple "winner takes all" electoral districts.
This will be a boon to the smaller opposition parties, such as PMR's two local Communist parties. Despite opinion polls showing Communist support at around 10%, there are currently no Communist MPs. Under the new system, the two parties are likely to get four members of parliament between them. Other smaller parties which stand to benefit as well include the Liberal Democrats, the Patriotic Party of Pridnestrovie, the youth party "Breakthrough", and "People's Will", a party formed in December by MP Oleg Gudymo and a number of pro-independence NGOs.
- 2007 to become "year of democracy"
Ilona Turyaeva, part of the parliamentary commission for mandates, standing orders and MPs' ethics, explains:
" - 2007 will be the year for democracy. This parliament is currently planning a series of important reforms to bring a number of PMR laws in line with current European standards and ensure representation of a plurality of different voices. We must make certain that everyone is heard. That is what democracy is all about."
Turyaeva, 38, is a member of parliament for the leading opposition party, Renewal. She was born in Tiraspol, Pridnestrovie's capital, and has been interested in politics ever since the country declared independence in 1990. In 2005, she was unexpectedly elected to parliament along with other Renewal-candidates when the party obtained a surprise victory over the Respublika party which consists of supporters of current president Igor Smirnov.
Pridnestrovie - which is also frequently called Transnistria as well as Transdniester - declared independence on 2 September 1990, one year before Moldova did. Despite a lack of formal recognition, it meets all the requirements for sovereign statehood under international law. It has a territory twice the size of Luxembourg and a population twice the size of Iceland. It also has a Constitution, a democratically elected president, and a parliament which is controlled by the opposition. Its government, albeit small, functions with recognized level of efficiency and it has a viable export-oriented economy. It has its own stamps, passports, car plates, and a freely convertible currency, the PMR Ruble. On 17 September 2006, more than 95% of its citizens reaffirmed their wish to continue the country's independence course and overwhelmingly turned down a proposal for unification with nearby Moldova. (With information from PMR News)
See also:
» Experts: Challenge underway from PMR's opposition-controlled parliament
On the web:
» Official parliament entry for Ilona Turyaeva
Protesters supporting two left-wing parties in Pridnestrovie demand the early resignation of President Igor Smirnov. They blame Smirnov for an increase in food prices and disagree with his government's economic policies. The demand came at a protest rally held in Tiraspol, which was billed as the largest opposition rally in the young country's 18 year old history. . . 
