Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova

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For the Soviet-era party, see Communist Party of Moldavia.
Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova
Partidul Comuniștilor din Republica Moldova
Партия коммунистов Республики Молдова
AbbreviationPCRM
First SecretaryVladimir Voronin
Executive SecretaryOleg Reidman
FounderVladimir Voronin
Founded22 October 1993
Preceded byPCM (de-facto)
HeadquartersStr. Iorga Nicolae 11, Chişinău, Moldova
NewspaperComunistul/Коммунист
Youth wingKomsomol
Membership (2018)11,700[1]
IdeologyCommunism[2]
Democratic socialism[1][3]
Left-wing populism[4]
Moldovenism[5]
Russophilia[6][7][8]
Political positionLeft-wing to far-left
National affiliationElectoral Bloc of Communists and Socialists
European affiliationParty of the European Left[9]
International affiliationIMCWP[10]
Continental affiliationUCP–CPSU
Colours  Red
Slogan"Republic! Power to the people! Socialism!"
(Romanian: „Republică! Puterea poporului! Socialism!”)[1]
Parliament
10 / 101
District Presidents
1 / 32
Website
pcrm.md

The Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (Romanian: Partidul Comuniștilor din Republica Moldova (PCRM), Moldovan Cyrillic: Партидул Комуништилор дин Република Молдова (ПКРМ), Russian: Партия коммунистов Республики Молдова, romanized: Partiya kommunistov Respubliki Moldova) is a communist party in Moldova led by Vladimir Voronin. It is the only communist party to have held a majority in government in the post-Soviet states.[a]

History[]

The PCRM was registered as a political party in 1994. The PCRM was part of the Popular Patriotic Forces Front at the time of the 1996 presidential election, in which Voronin stood as the coalition's candidate and won 10.3% of the vote, placing third. The party supported Petru Lucinschi in the second round of the election, and following Lucinschi's victory the PCRM was given two positions in the government. Romanian historian Dorin Cimpoeșu has described the party as "moldovenist".[11]

1998 election[]

Main article: 1998 Moldovan parliamentary election
Vladimir Voronin was President of Moldova and the party's most prominent personality

In the March 1998 parliamentary election, the PCRM won 30.1% of the vote and 40 seats, becoming the largest party in parliament; in its platform, it called for "the rebirth of a socialist society". Despite its strong showing, the PCRM was left in opposition due to the formation of a center-right coalition government, Alliance for Democracy and Reforms. Although Lucinschi later nominated Voronin as Prime Minister of Moldova in late 1999, the nomination was unsuccessful because Voronin did not have enough support in parliament.

2001 election[]

Main article: 2001 Moldovan parliamentary election

The PCRM received 49.9% of the vote in the February 2001 parliamentary election, winning 71 out of the 101 seats in parliament.[12] With a PCRM parliamentary majority, Voronin was elected as president by parliament in April 2001. The Constitutional Court ruled that the President could also lead a political party, and Voronin was re-elected as party leader.[12]

2005 election[]

Main articles: 2005 Moldovan parliamentary election and Moldovan Parliament 2005–2009

As the ruling political party in Moldova, it won the 2005 Moldovan parliamentary election, and provided the President, Vladimir Voronin, the Prime Minister, Zinaida Greceanîi, and the Speaker of the Moldovan Parliament, Marian Lupu. Under Voronin, it privatized several state-owned industries and governed in a multi-party fashion. It also favors European integration and eventual EU membership.

2009 elections[]

Main articles: July 2009 Moldovan parliamentary election, 2009 Moldova civil unrest, and Moldovan Parliament 2009–2010

After April 2009 election and the civil unrest, the political and civic climate in Moldova became very polarized.[13] The parliament failed to elect a new president. For this reason, the parliament was dissolved and, consequently, snap elections were held. At the July 29 polls the Communist Party received 44.7% of the vote. That gave the former ruling party 48 MPs and the remaining 53 seats in the 101-member chamber went to four opposition parties which subsequently formed the governing Alliance For European Integration (AIE). Therefore, for the first time since 2001, the Communists were pushed in opposition.

Political forces Seats Moldovan Parliament seats after July 2009 polls
  • v
  • t
Alliance for European Integration (right-wing) 53                                                                                                          
Party of Communists (left-wing) 48                                                                                                          
  •    PCRM (48)
  •    PLDM (18)
  •    PL (15)
  •    PDM (13)
  •    AMN (7)

2010 election[]

After the Parliament failed to elect a new President of the Republic, snap elections were called. In the election, PCRM obtained 39.34% of votes, winning 42 seats, going again into opposition to the Alliance of European Integration (AIE). In 2011, Igor Dodon and Zinaida Greceanîi left the party and joined the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM).

2014 election[]

The parliamentary election of 2014 saw a great defeat for PCRM, which received only 17.48% of votes, losing more than half of its electors to PSRM and electing 21 seats. Following the elections, the party agreed to give confidence and supply to the new Gaburici Cabinet. The agreement collapsed in June 2015 and the PCRM went back into opposition.

In 2016, the party suffered a large split as 14 MPS left PCRM faction and established the Social Democratic Platform for Moldova, joining the majority of Filip Cabinet. On 10 March 2017, all 14 MPs joined the Democratic Party of Moldova (PDM). Since then, the party rapidly declined in polls, losing most of its votes to PSRM and PDM.

2019 election[]

At the 2019 parliamentary election, the PCRM collapsed, receiving only 3.75% of votes and losing all representation in the parliament for the first time since the Russian Revolution.

2021 election[]

At the 2021 parliamentary election, the PCRM decided to join forces with the PSRM in order to re-enter the parliament as the Electoral Bloc of Communists and Socialists (BECS). The party won 10 out of 101 seats in the parliament as part of the aforementioned electoral bloc, thus regaining parliamentary presence after 2019.

Ideology[]

According to its Statute adopted in 2008, article 1, the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova is a "lawful successor and heir of the Communist Party of [Soviet] Moldavia both in terms of ideas and traditions".

While officially espousing a Leninist communist doctrine, there is debate over their policies. The Economist considers it a centre-right party, communist only in name,[14][15] whereas Romanian political scientist Vladimir Tismăneanu argues that the party is communist in the classical sense, as it has not changed much since the fall of the Soviet Union.[16]

Last proposed electoral program[]

For the current period of governance, the PCRM has outlined the following goals for the country:

  • A new quality of life;
  • Economic modernisation;
  • European integration;
  • Consolidation of the society.

Electoral results[]

Parliament
Election Leader Performance Rank Government
Votes % ± pp Seats +/–
1998 Vladimir Voronin 487,002
30.01%
 New
40 / 101
 New 1st Opposition (ADR: CDM-PDMP-PFD)
Opposition (ADR: CDM-PDMP-PFD)
Support (Independents→BeAB)
2001 794,808
50.07%
 Increase 20.06
71 / 101
 Increase 31 Steady 1st Supermajority (PCRM)
2005 716,336
45.98%
 Decrease 4.09
56 / 101
 Decrease 15 Steady 1st Majority (PCRM)
Majority (PCRM)
2009 (Apr) 760,551
49.48%
 Increase 3.50
60 / 101
 Increase 4 Steady 1st Supermajority (PCRM)
2009 (Jul) 706,732
44.69%
 Decrease 4.79
48 / 101
 Decrease 12 Steady 1st Opposition (AIE: PLDM-PDM-PL-AMN)
2010 677,069
39.34%
 Decrease 5.35
42 / 101
 Decrease 6 Steady 1st Opposition (AIE: PLDM-PDM-PL)
Opposition (CPE: PLDM-PDM-PLR)
2014 279,366
17.48%
 Decrease 21.86
21 / 101
 Decrease 17 Decrease 3rd Opposition (APME: PLDM-PDM)
Opposition (AIE III: PLDM-PDM-PL)
Opposition (PDM-PPEM-PL)
2019 53,175
3.75%
 Decrease 13.73
0 / 101
 Decrease 21 Decrease 5th Extra-parliamentary (ACUM: (PAS-PPPDA)-PSRM)
Extra-parliamentary (PSRM-PDM)
2021 398,675
27.17%
(BECS) 		Increase 23.42
10 / 101
 Increase 10 Increase 3rd Opposition (PAS majority government)
President
Election Candidate First round Second round Result
Votes % Votes %
2001 Vladimir Voronin 71[b]
70.30%
 Elected Green tickY
2005 Vladimir Voronin 75[b]
74.26%
 Elected Green tickY
2009 (May–Jun) Zinaida Greceanîi 60[b]
59.41%
 No winner
2009 (Nov–Dec) Boycotted the elections No winner
2011–2012 Lost Red XN
2016 Lost Red XN
2020 Lost Red XN

Gallery[]

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ The Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) won two parliamentary elections in the 1990s by receiving a plurality (but notably not a majority) of seats in the Duma, however since Russia is a Presidential Republic (and Boris Yeltsin was President at the time), the CPRF was unable to form a government. The Communist Party of South Ossetia, which was de facto independent at the time, won a majority of seats in the 1994 election.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c President was elected by 101 members of Parliament. 61 votes were needed to win.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Partidul Comuniştilor din Republica Moldova (PCRM)". Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  2. ^ "Parliamentary Elections". CSIS. 2019.
  3. ^ Nordsieck, Wolfram (2019). "Moldova". Parties and Elections in Europe. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  4. ^ "Parliamentary Elections". CSIS. 2019.
  5. ^ https://www.csis.org/programs/european-election-watch/2019-elections/moldova
  6. ^ Socon, Vladimir (2012). "Moldova's Communist Party Haunted by Its Past and Its Present". JamesTown.
  7. ^ "Moldova election: Will voters choose EU or Putin?". BBC. 2014.
  8. ^ "Opportunistic Communist". Politico. 2015.
  9. ^ "Our Parties".
  10. ^ IMCWP. "Communist and Workers' Parties". IMCWP. Retrieved 16 February 2019.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  11. ^ https://www.limbaromana.md/index.php?go=articole&n=3360
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b Political Parties of the World (6th edition, 2005), ed. Bogdan Szajkowski, page 414.
  13. ^ The New York Times, A Polarized Moldova Votes, Mindful of West and Russia, July 29, 2009
  14. ^ Protests in Moldova and Georgia: Street scenes, The Economist, April 16, 2009
  15. ^ Who's left? Who's right?, The Economist, April 23, 2009
  16. ^ "Moldova's Revolution Against Cynical And Cronyist Authoritarianism", RFE/RL, April 13, 2009

External links[]

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