Vasile Botnaru is a correspondent for RFE/RL's Moldovan Service.
Analysts say Moscow is looking for ways to maintain influence in Moldova without being overly involved.
The strong victory for the center-right party founded by President Maia Sandu in Moldova’s parliamentary elections has raised hopes that years of debilitating political gridlock may be coming to an end. But serious challenges from what citizens say is an entrenched kleptocracy remain.
The Dignity and Truth civic movement has mobilized tens of thousands of Moldovans to demand serious action against the corruption that is crippling their country. The movement is a joint project of 14 politically independent civic activists who collectively represent it.
Dozens of tents have been set up in the center of the Moldovan capital following a street protest that drew tens of thousands as public frustration over rampant corruption has reached the boiling point. But the question of what comes next remains unanswered.
Independent Moldova is now 20 years old, and a whole generation has grown up in the new country. And both that generation and Moldova are struggling with daunting ethnic, social, economic, and political divisions.
The street protests in the Moldovan capital that briefly gave way to vandalism and dramatic violence have subsided as signs emerged that authorities and the opposition are taking steps to reduce the political tensions behind the confrontation. But a diplomatic row with Romania and unconfirmed reports that security forces were arresting and dealing harshly with suspected protesters suggested all is not forgotten.
Moldovan psychologist Lidia Gorceag says her job is to touch the souls of her patients, to encourage them to see their experiences from other angles, and to help them find the strength to move forward.
