Blame Corruption and Misrule, Not Geopolitical Rivalry, for Moldova’s Problems

Blame Corruption and Misrule, Not Geopolitical Rivalry, for Moldova’s Problems
A woman walks by electoral posters in Chisinau, Moldova, Oct. 27, 2016 (AP photo by Roveliu Buga).

CHISINAU, Moldova—Most headlines about Moldova would have you believe this former Soviet republic of 3.5 million people is torn between East and West, the impoverished victim of a battle for influence on the European Union’s doorstep that pits Brussels against Moscow.

To be sure, geopolitics is a major part of the picture. The two candidates in the ongoing presidential election here prove it: Igor Dodon, a pro-Russian socialist, says he wants to see Moldova’s hard-fought Association Agreement with the EU torn up, while Harvard-trained economist Maia Sandu pledges to support the country’s pro-European course. Since neither secured a majority in the first round of voting late last month, they will face off in a Nov. 13 runoff.

But far more pressing for Moldova is the widespread graft and misrule that have sapped the country’s resources and public confidence in its political class. Twenty-five years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, experts say Europe’s poorest country is still suffering from feeble institutions that have been captured by a self-interested oligarchy.

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