View source for Politics of Transnistria

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{see also|List of political parties in Transnistria}}
{{Update|date=March 2011}}
{{Infobox political system
| name                          = Politics of Transnistria
| native_name                   = 
| image                         = Coat of arms of Transnistria.svg
| image_size                    = 125
| caption                       = [[Coat of arms of Transnistria]]
| type                          = [[Unitary state|Unitary]] [[Semi-presidential system|semi-presidential]] [[republic]]
| constitution                  = [[Constitution of Transnistria]]
| legislature                   = [[Supreme Council (Transnistria)|Supreme Council]]
| legislature_type              = [[Unicameralism|Unicameral]]
| legislature_place             = [[Tiraspol]], [[Transnistria]]
| legislature_speaker           = Alexander Shcherba 
| legislature_speaker_title     = [[Supreme Council (Transnistria)#List of speakers|Chairman of the Supreme Council]]
| upperhouse                    =
| upperhouse_speaker            =
| upperhouse_speaker_title      =
| upperhouse_appointer          =
| lowerhouse                    =
| lowerhouse_speaker            =
| lowerhouse_speaker_title      =
| lowerhouse_appointer          =
| title_hos                     = [[President of Transnistria|President]]
| current_hos                   = [[Vadim Krasnoselsky]]
| appointer_hos                 = [[2016 Transnistrian presidential election|Direct popular vote]]
| title_hog                     = [[Prime Minister of Transnistria|Prime Minister]]
| current_hog                   = [[Aleksandr Rosenberg (politician)|Aleksandr Rosenberg]]
| appointer_hog                 = President
| title_hosag                   =
| current_hosag                 =
| appointer_hosag               =
| cabinet                       = [[Government of Transnistria]]
| current_cabinet               = [[Government of Transnistria#Current cabinet|Martynov cabinet]]
| cabinet_leader                = Prime Minister
| cabinet_deputyleader          = First Deputy Prime Minister
| cabinet_appointer             = President
| cabinet_hq                    = [[Tiraspol]], [[Transnistria]]
| cabinet_ministries            = 
| judiciary                     =
| judiciary_head                =
| courts                        =
| court                         = 
| chief_judge                   =
| court_seat                    = 
| court1                        =
| chief_judge1                  =
| court_seat1                   =
}}
{{Politics of Transnistria}}
The '''politics of Transnistria''',  an [[List of states with limited recognition|unrecognised]] ''[[de facto]]'' state situated ''[[de jure]]'' within the Republic of [[Moldova]] in [[Eastern Europe]], take place in a framework of a [[semi-presidential system|semi-presidential]] [[republic]], whereby the [[President of Transnistria|president]] is [[head of state]] and the [[Prime Minister of Transnistria|prime minister]] is [[head of government]]. [[Executive power]] is exercised by the government. [[Legislative power]] is vested in both the [[government]] and parliament.
Officially, Transnistria has a multi-party system and a [[unicameralism|unicameral]] parliament, called the [[Parliament of Transnistria|Supreme Council]]. The president is elected by popular vote. The [[2020 Transnistrian parliamentary election|latest parliamentary elections]] were held in November 2020.

Political parties from [[Moldova]] do not recognize the Transnistrian government and do not participate at elections organized by it.

==Elections in Transnistria==
===Latest elections===
====2021 Presidential election====
{{Main|2021 Transnistrian presidential election}}

== Results ==
{{Election results|cand1=[[Vadim Krasnoselsky]]|cand2=[[Sergey Pynzar]]|party1=Independent|party2=Independent|votes1=113620|votes2=16914|invalid=12520|electorate=405294|source=[https://balkaninsight.com/2021/12/13/moldavas-breakaway-transnistria-re-elects-leader-in-dubious-poll/ BalkanInsight], [https://www-cikpmr-com.translate.goog/news-page/ofitsialnye-rezultaty-vyborov-prezidenta-pmr.html?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=fr CEC], [https://www.urdupoint.com/en/world/transnistria-to-hold-presidential-election-on-1347702.html CEC]}}

=== 2020 Parliamentary election ===
{{Main|2020 Transnistrian parliamentary election}}

==Electorate==

Data issued by Transnistrian authorities show that of the 555,500 inhabitants, a total of 394,861 were registered to vote in 2015, down 5.6% from a year earlier.<ref>[http://www.olvia.idknet.com/ol225-09-06.htm PMR CEC announces final referendum results] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924060234/http://www.olvia.idknet.com/ol225-09-06.htm |date=2015-09-24 }} {{in lang|ru}}</ref>

==Political freedom in Transnistria==

There is disagreement as to whether elections in Transnistria are free and fair. Western organizations, such as the OSCE, have declared that no democratic elections can take place in the region under the present circumstances and have refused to even monitor them.{{citation needed|date=April 2014}}

=== 2005 – 2006 elections ===

A team of Russian journalists from Moldova who covered the December 2006 election process claimed that it was "interesting that the position is not a fear of authority, with pressure from government" but that people vote voluntarily because Chișinău, the capital of Moldova, is not an appealing alternative. According to Chișinău-based ''Vremea'', there is now a whole generation of people in Transnistria who see Moldova with a negative view.<ref>[http://www.vremea.net/news/2006-12-12/17:44:04.html Приднестровье // «МАЛЕНЬКАЯ СТРАНА» // 12.12 16 December 2006] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716082054/http://www.vremea.net/news/2006-12-12/17:44:04.html |date=16 July 2011 }}</ref>

In August 2006, one month before [[2006 Transnistrian referendum|the referendum]] against reintegration in Moldova, 4 members of pro-Moldovan NGO "Dignitas" from [[Slobozia, Moldova|Slobozia]] were brought in for questioning by Transnistrian law enforcement as part of an investigation into a bus explosion which had taken place three days earlier and which killed two people. They were released after few days in custody, no charges being made against them.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://azi.md/news?ID=40625 |title=Transnistria Special Forces release members of organization Dignitas |access-date=2006-10-01 |archive-date=2007-03-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070313045129/http://azi.md/news?ID=40625 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In November 2006, the Moldovan press reported that the offices of the Rîbniţa district committee of the Communist Party in Transnistria were closed by the local Transnistrian authorities.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://azi.md/news?ID=41904 |title=PCRM indignant at Tiraspol's decision to hinder Transdniestrian Communist Party's work |access-date=2006-11-17 |archive-date=2007-04-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070425211930/http://www.azi.md/news?ID=41904 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Communist Party of Moldova condemned the act and claims it was closed under false pretenses.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://transnistria.md/en/news//178/ |title=Transnistria.md report of Communist office closure |access-date=2006-11-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720235657/http://transnistria.md/en/news//178/ |archive-date=2011-07-20 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== 2000 – 2001 elections ===

Some parties and publications were banned. People's Power Party led by Supreme Soviet member [[Alexander Radchenko]] was banned in May 2001; after an appeal the ban was lifted but was reintroduced in December 2001, again the ban was lifted to be reintroduced in August 2002 and confirmed by the "Supreme Court" in December 2002.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070312013718/http://www.moldova.org/download/eng/515/ Mihai Grecu, Anatol Țăranu – The policy of linguistic cleansning in Transnistria, page 26-27]</ref>

"Power to the People" Party led by Nicolae Butchatsky was banned in February 2002.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070312013718/http://www.moldova.org/download/eng/515/ Mihai Grecu, Anatol Țăranu – The policy of linguistic cleansning in Transnistria, page 27]</ref>

On November 14, 2001, the Transnistrian customs service banned the distribution of the publication "Glas Naroda", as it contained Radchenko's electoral platform. Radchenko said in a press conference that "Glas Naroda" has been published outside Transnistria because all the printing houses had refused to print it after having discussed the issue with representatives of the Ministry of State Security.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070312013718/http://www.moldova.org/download/eng/515/ Mihai Grecu, Anatol Țăranu – The policy of linguistic cleansing in Transnistria, page 27]</ref>

Election results have been contested by some, as in 2001 in one region an undisclosed source reported that [[Igor Smirnov (politician)|Igor Smirnov]] collected 103.6% of the votes.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/473c54cb23.html| title=Freedom in the World – Transnistria [Moldova] (2004)| publisher=Freedom House | date=18 December 2003 | access-date=October 16, 2011}}</ref> Nevertheless, some organizations, such as [[CIS election observation missions|CIS-EMO]], have participated and have called them democratic.

==Comparison between Moldova's and Transnistria's political system==
While Transnistria has a strongly centralized political system, with the president having the right to appoint the heads of local (rayonal) administrations, in Moldova the prime minister, elected by the parliament, is the head of government and the heads of rayonal administrations are established by the rayonal councils resulted from local elections.

Both in Moldova and Transnistria the president is elected directly, by the people.

==Participation of Transnistrians at Moldovan elections==
The number of Transnistrian holding Moldovan citizenship is disputed. According to the Moldovan government, 400,000 Transnistrians have Moldovan citizenship,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://azi.md/news?ID=45205 |title=Nearly 400 thousand Transnistrians have Moldovan passports (Azi.md) |access-date=2007-07-16 |archive-date=2007-10-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008232945/http://azi.md/news?ID=45205 |url-status=live }}</ref> which would be the majority of the population and would exceed by a wide margin the amount of self-declared ethnic Moldovans living in Transnistria. However, the [[2004 Census in Transnistria|2004 Transnistrian census data]] puts the official number of Transnistrians with Moldovan citizenship at 107,600 people (19.4% of respondents).<ref>[http://www.pridnestrovie.net/2004census.html 2004 Census results] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070217072904/http://www.pridnestrovie.net/2004census.html |date=February 17, 2007 }}</ref>

Transnistria does not allow the organisation of Moldovan elections in Transnistrian territory, just like Moldova does not allow the organisation of Transnistrian elections in Moldovan territory. Polling stations were organised only in those areas of Transnistria under Moldovan government control.

Political parties from Moldova have organisations in Transnistria<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://transnistria.md/en/news//173/ |title=Position of Transnistrian structures of "Our Moldova" Alliance |access-date=2006-11-13 |archive-date=2007-09-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927024818/http://transnistria.md/en/news//173/ |url-status=live }}</ref> but refuse to participate in elections organized by the de facto Republic. They participate only in the elections of the Republic of Moldova.

In 2005 Moldovan parliamentary elections nine special polling stations were organised near the Dniester for "guest voters" coming from Transnistria who wished to vote in the Moldovan elections. Around 8000 citizens voted there, who were included in supplementary voter rolls. In those special polling stations results were: 30% for [[Communist Party of Moldova]] (compared with 46% in entire Moldova), 50% for [[Democratic Moldova Bloc]] (28.5% in entire Moldova), 8% for [[Christian-Democratic Party (Moldova)|Christian-Democratic Party]] (9.1% in entire Moldova) and 6% for each [[Social Democratic Party (Moldova)|Social Democratic Party]] and [[Patria-Rodina Bloc]]. Due to large turnout of Transnistrian voters queues were formed and some voters didn't manage to vote. As claimed by the Coalition for Free and Democratic Elections, many Transnistrian voters were not informed properly about the place of the voting and some owners of [[Soviet passport]]s which don't bear the mention "citizen of Moldova" were not allowed to vote.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.e-democracy.md/en/e-journal/20050314/#3 |title=e-democracy report about 2005 Moldovan election |access-date=2006-11-13 |archive-date=2016-03-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311140506/http://www.e-democracy.md/en/e-journal/20050314/#3 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Elections in Moldova]]
*[[Proposed Russian annexation of Transnistria]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.globalpolicy.org/nations/sovereign/sover/emerg/2007/0202transnistria.htm Transnistria's "Government" Showcases Foreign, Minority Rule], ''Global Policy Forum'', 2 February 2007
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070312014931/http://jamestown.org/edm/article.php?article_id=2371375 Russian organizations in Transnistria campaign for a second Kaliningrad], [[Vladimir Socor]], ''[[Jamestown Foundation|Eurasia Daily Monitor]]'', 11 August 2006
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110606071311/http://www.kommersant.com/p718190/Transdniestria_presidential_elections/ Russia’s Business to Vote for President of Transdniestria], ''[[Kommersant]]'', 1 November 2006
*[https://edwardlucas.blogspot.com/2007/04/moldovarussia-latest.html A thaw in the river], ''[[The Economist]]'' 19 April 2007

{{Transnistrian elections|state=expanded}}
{{Elections in Europe}}
{{Politics of Europe}}
{{Transnistria topics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Politics Of Transnistria}}
[[Category:Politics of Transnistria| ]]
[[Category:History of Transnistria since 1991]]