Moldova

Formerly ruled by Romania, Moldova became part of the Soviet Union at the close of World War II. Although independent from the USSR since 1991, Russian forces have remained on Moldovan territory east of the Dniester River supporting the Slavic majority population, mostly Ukrainians and Russians, who have proclaimed a "Transnistria" republic. One of the poorest nations in Europe, Moldova became the first former Soviet state to elect a Communist as its president in 2001.

• heavy use of agricultural chemicals, including banned pesticides such as DDT, has contaminated soil and groundwater;
• extensive soil erosion from poor farming methods

party to:

Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants

0-14 years:

21.7% (male 490,414; female 472,912)

15-64 years:

68.2% (male 1,451,962; female 1,572,561)

65 years and over:

10.1% (male 165,860; female 280,838) (2002 est.)

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.92 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.59 male(s)/female

total population:

0.91 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

noun:

Moldovan(s)

adjective:

Moldovan

conventional long form:

Republic of Moldova

conventional short form:

Moldova

local short form:

none

former:

Soviet Socialist Republic of Moldova; Moldavia

local long form:

Republica Moldova

• 9 counties (judetele, singular - judetul), 1 municipality* (municipiul), 1 autonomous territorial unit** (unitate teritoriala autonoma), and 1 territorial unit*** (unitate teritoriala);
• Balti, Cahul, Chisinau, Chisinau*, Edinet, Gagauzia**, Lapusna, Orhei, Soroca, Stinga Nistrului***, Tighina, Ungheni

• based on civil law system;
• Constitutional Court reviews legality of legislative acts and governmental decisions of resolution;
• it is unclear if Moldova accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction but accepts many UN and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) documents

chief of state:

President Vladimir VORONIN (since 4 April 2001)

head of government:

Prime Minister Vasile TARLEV (since 15 April 2001), First Deputy Prime Minister Vasile IOVV (since NA 2002), Deputy Prime Minister Stefan ODAGIU (since NA 2002)

cabinet:

selected by prime minister, subject to approval of Parliament

elections:

• president elected by Parliament for a four-year term;
• election last held 4 April 2001 (next to be held NA 2005);
• note - presidential elections were scheduled for December 2000, but in July 2000, Parliament canceled direct, popular elections;
• Parliament's failure to chose a new president in December 2000 led to early parliamentary elections in February 2001;
• prime minister designated by the president, upon consultation with Parliament;
• note - within 15 days from designation, the prime minister-designate must request a vote of confidence from the Parliament regarding his/her work program and entire cabinet;
• prime minister designated 15 April 2001, cabinet received a vote of confidence 19 April 2001

election results:

• Vladimir VORONIN elected president;
• parliamentary votes - Vladimir VORONIN 71, Dumitru BRAGHIS 15, Valerian CHRISTEA 3;
• Vasile TARLEV designated prime minister;
• parliamentary votes of confidence - 75 of 101

• Braghis Alliance [Dumitru BRAGHIS];
• Communist Party or PCM [Vladimir VORONIN, first chairman];
• Popular Christian Democratic Party or PPCD [Iurie ROSCA];
• Social Democratic Union (composed of Braghis Alliance and the Democratic Party of Moldova) [leader NA]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Mihai MANOLI

FAX:

[1] (202) 667-1204

telephone:

[1] (202) 667-1130

chancery:

2101 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission:

Ambassador Pamela Hyde SMITH

embassy:

103 Mateevici Street, Chisinau MD-2009

mailing address:

use embassy street address; pouch address - American Embassy Chisinau, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-7080

telephone:

[373] (2) 23-37-72

FAX:

[373] (2) 23-30-44

• same color scheme as Romania - three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red;
• emblem in center of flag is of a Roman eagle of gold outlined in black with a red beak and talons carrying a yellow cross in its beak and a green olive branch in its right talons and a yellow scepter in its left talons;
• on its breast is a shield divided horizontally red over blue with a stylized ox head, star, rose, and crescent all in black-outlined yellow

lowest 10%:

2%

highest 10%:

31% (1997)

general assessment:

inadequate, outmoded, poor service outside Chisinau, some effort to modernize is under way

domestic:

new subscribers face long wait for service; mobile cellular telephone service being introduced

international:

service through Romania and Russia via landline; satellite earth stations - Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik

total:

1,328 km

broad gauge:

1,328 km 1.520-m gauge (2001)

total:

20,000 km

paved:

13,900 km (includes some all-weather gravel-surfaced roads)

unpaved:

6,100 km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1990)

• limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis, mostly for CIS consumption;
• transshipment point for illicit drugs from Southwest Asia via Central Asia to Russia, Western Europe, and possibly the US;
• widespread crime and underground economic activity