Yearbook 2012
Moldova. Parliament decided in March on the chemical castration of pedophiles after many Moldavians experienced that the country has become a tourist destination for sex offenders from the outside. The new law made it mandatory with chemical castration for anyone convicted of sexual abuse of children under 15. Even those convicted of rape are threatened by castration, which is decided on a case-by-case basis. Amnesty International in Moldova condemned the decision on chemical castration as a violation of privacy and a violation of human rights.
In March, Moldova’s parliament made a fresh attempt to elect a regular president. The country had lacked one since 2009 because Parliament failed to create a sufficient majority, 61 out of 101 votes, to elect a new president.
The EU-friendly government alliance now proposed Judge Nicolae Timofti as a candidate. Timofti received 62 votes and thus became Moldova’s president after three years of death. Timofti, who was described as an independent lawyer, explained that the country needs a national idea that can unite the fragmented society, namely European integration.
- AbbreviationFinder.org: Provides most commonly used acronyms and abbreviations for Moldova. Also includes location map, major cities, and country overview.
The Opposition Communist Party boycotted the vote, but three members who left the party voted for Timofti. He was also supported by an independent member, in addition to the votes of the government alliance. Tens of thousands of supporters of the Communist Party demonstrated against the election of Timofti.
In July, Parliament voted for a condemnation of the former Communist dictatorship in Moldova, and at the same time the use of Communist symbols for political purposes was banned. The Communist Party described the decision as an “anti-opposition law”, and party leader Vladimir Voronin explained that it was not intended to give up the symbol with the hammer and the cutting. The party appealed the decision to the Supreme Court.
The law came into force during the fall, but the party continued to use the symbol. The Election Commission then refused to register the party’s candidates for the local elections in November.
In September, Moldova was faced with an ultimatum from Moscow to choose between continued purchase of cheap Russian gas or to implement EU liberalization of the energy market. Moldova, which is keen to be the EU in law, planned to adopt the Union’s so-called third energy package, which would mean Gazprom lost ownership control over gas pipelines through Moldova west.
At the same time, Moldova was in dire need of maintaining its gas prices, which were the lowest in Europe. As perhaps the poorest nation in Europe, the Moldavians had an average monthly salary of about SEK 1,800.
When Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat, Putin sought to attract proposals for support to the Moldovan economy through investment and through an expanded Russian market for Moldovan wines. But the issue of gas prices was postponed.
In November, the new Moldovan president took open strife with the Russian Federation and said no to a Russian consulate proposal in the Russian-backed Transnistrian Republic. President Timofti declared that Moldova would not accept any consulate until the Russian army (over 2,000 men) was withdrawn from Transnistria and the conflict over the region’s status had been resolved.
Timofti’s no came when Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin visited Moldova and urged the country to withdraw from the EU’s third energy package. Timofti said that Moldova cannot guarantee the security of any consulate because the authorities have no control over Transnistria, where a separatist regime operates and where there is a foreign state’s army – the Russian Federation.
Population 2012
According to countryaah, the population of Moldova in 2012 was 4,070,589, ranking number 128 in the world. The population growth rate was -0.080% yearly, and the population density was 123.9178 people per km2.
