Moldova, a Political System Under Pressure: Between European Aspirations and War in Ukraine Russie.Eurasie.Visions, No. 128, Ifri, May 2023
Maia Sandu, who was elected President of the Republic of Moldova by direct universal suffrage in November 2020, won a large parliamentary majority in the snap parliamentary elections held in July 2021. Her plan for the internal transformation of Moldova is closely linked to her objective of progress toward the European Union.
The war in Ukraine has accelerated advancement in this direction, as the Republic of Moldova was granted European Union candidate status at the European Council meeting on June 23, 2022.
A number of obstacles lie in its path, but external observers have so far focused on external factors, in particular the hybrid threats posed by Russia, relations with which have deteriorated considerably. However, Moldova’s capacity to transform itself is also affected by the interaction between internal and external factors, particularly in the political domain.
Florent Parmentier is a geopolitical specialist and holds a doctorate in political sciences. He has been the Secretary-General of the Centre de recherches politiques (Center for Political Research) at Sciences Po since 2019.