Andrew Wilson for New Eastern Europe on Moldova & Transistria

Andrew Wilson, Senior Analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations posted his thoughts about developments in Moldova and Transistria on New Eastern Europe.

*Beauty Contests on the Nistru*

Transnistria has a new “President”, Moldova still has not. In December Transnistria surprised all observers by holding something close to a real competitive election for the first time in twenty years. Even more surprisingly, veteran local strongman Igor Smirnov found his local election machine was no longer working, and a new generation of Transnistrians, with greater travel opportunities and better access to information via new technology, voted for the 43 year old chair of parliament Yevgeny Shevchuk, formerly one of the leaders of the pro-business Renewal party, bypassing Moscow’s supposed favourite Anatoliy Kaminski – ironically also backed by Renewal.

Meanwhile, Moldova yet again failed even to schedule elections to the vacant post of President (empty since 2009) at the first spring session of parliament on 16 February. 

Click here to read the full article: https://www.neweasterneurope.eu/node/206

————————————–

Follow the Russian election with New Eastern Europe!

Regular updates are posted here: https://www.neweasterneurope.eu/node/202