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Extreme poverty is common in Moldova (shown), where experts say the situation could easily get worse

CHISINAU (Tiraspol Times) - Poverty and an unrelenting rise of prices are the problems worrying the Moldovans most, shows an opinion poll issued this week in Chisinau. According to news agency Info-Prim Neo, 75% of the respondents say they have no decent living anymore.

Extreme poverty is on the rise in what is already Europe's poorest country: 30% of the population report that they don't even have enough “at least for the strictly necessary” while another 45% manage to cover only the most stringent expenses. 68% of the respondents worry about the continuous rise of prices, with the share rising to 77% among the elderly who have been abandoned by Moldova's authoritarian regime while the family of President Vladimir Voronin has grown increasingly wealthy. Oleg Voronin, the President's eldest son, is today reported to be the wealthiest individual in Moldova.

As living standards are dropping in Moldova, the state - which is already classified as a "failed state" - has seen a growth in the number of citizens who are unhappy with the way that they live. Many of them have already fled the country, and on a per-capita basis Moldova now has the highest proportion of its citizens living abroad of any European country. The majority indicate no willingness to ever return. Of the remaining population, almost half are looking to leave. Only 55% of respondents say they are not going to swap Moldova for another country, if given the chance.

The poll called “The Public Opinion Barometer” is implemented by the Public Policy Institute, supported by the Soros Foundation. The opinion poll of March-April this year was carried out on 1,435 persons, with a maximal error of ±2.6%. It did not include Transdniester (official name: Pridnestrovie), which operates with a different political system, different currency, different constitution and government, and has borders that are separate from Moldova's.

Higher wages and living standards

Since 1990, when Transdniester declared independence, the small 'de facto' state has managed to build society which is more socially coherent than Moldova's and where the general standard of living is comparatively better and wages are higher than in Moldova in real terms. In a series of referendums, with the latest held in 2006, a majority of Transdniester's population continuously showed a strong desire for independence and a refusal to join Moldova inside a unified- or common state.

Transdniester - also known as Transnistria or Transdnistria - has a majority Slavic population, and Russian is the most widely spoken language. This sets it apart from Moldova, where the majority of the population are ethnic Romanians and the language is a variant of Romanian. Moldova used to be part of Romania in the past, but Transdniester was never part of neither Moldova nor Romania at any time in history. Instead, Transdniester was an autonomous republic from 1924 to 1940 and part of both Russia and Ukraine before that. The historical border was the Dniester river, which today also marks the demilitarized security zone between Moldova and Transdniester.

See also:
» Misery index in Moldova hits all-time high; "Don't force us to be part of their mess" says PMR [1]
» Moldova falling apart as corruption, poverty force half the country to leave [2]
» Foreign investors flee Moldova over lack of democracy, constitutional protection [3]