Following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Moldova, which is sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, became an independent republic.
One of the poorest nations in Europe, Moldova's economy is heavily dependent on agriculture. The cultural heritage of the two nations is shared by the two thirds of Moldovans who are of Romanian descent.
Before 1940, when the Soviet Union combined it with Bessarabia to create the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic, the industrialized territory to the east of the Dniester, also known as Transnistria or the Dniester region, was officially an autonomous area within Ukraine.
Russian and Ukrainian speakers make up the majority of the population here. In 1990, Transnistria unilaterally declared independence from Moldova as a result of growing public concern over the possibility of closer ties with Romania during the turbulent final years of the Soviet Union.
Then there was fierce fighting. Since Transnistria's independence has never been acknowledged, the area has been in a state of limbo.
- Capital:. Chisinau.
- Area:. 33,851 sq km.
- Population:. Twenty-six million.
- Languages:. Gagauz, Russian, Ukrainian, Romanian, and Moldovan.
- Typical lifespan: 76 for women and 67 for men.
Maia Sandu is in charge.
president since 2020 in November. Igor Dodon, a president who supported Russia, was prevented from being reelected by the former prime minister.
Ms. Sandu, a pro-European who tried unsuccessfully to unseat Mr. Dodon in 2016, led a government for a short time in 2019, but it was overthrown due to a disagreement over the choice of a prosecutor-general.
President Dorin Recean.
The pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), which is in power and holds a parliamentary majority in Moldova, has proposed Dorin Recean, 48, for the position of prime minister.
Natalia Gavrilita, who served as the head of the government since the PAS ousted a pro-Russian coalition in the 2021 parliamentary elections, resigned on February 10 and will be succeeded by him.
Recean listed his top three priorities in a press conference shortly after being nominated. "The first is discipline in government agencies that are responsible for helping both citizens and businesses. There is opposition, but we will get past it.
"The second is reviving the economy as quickly as possible. For small and medium-sized businesses to generate employment, pay higher wages, and contribute to our prosperity, more resources must be found for investment in those businesses.
"Peace and prosperity are third. The most serious threats and obstacles since World War II must be recognized by all. For everyone to feel safe, the security sector must be strengthened. ".
Since a pro-European government was elected in the 2021 parliamentary election, the media has undergone a significant change.
Reporters Without Borders has given Moldova a higher ranking for media freedom because the government has made it simpler for journalists to access official information.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, parliament has essentially outlawed repeats of Russian TV news and political programs and established penalties for purported fake news.
The media frequently features political conflicts between pro-Russian and pro-Western groups.
1924 . - East of the Dniester River in Ukraine, the Moldovan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was founded.
1940 . - Russia takes control of Bessarabia from Romania and joins it with the majority of the Moldovan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic to form the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic.
1991 . Moldova formally declares its independence. It joins the Commonwealth of Independent States, which is the Soviet Union's replacement.
2001 . - In the elections, Vladimir Voronin's communists garner just over 50% of the vote.
2014 . - Moldova signs an association agreement with the EU, which prompts Russia to impose import limitations on agricultural products from Moldova.
2015. - The National Bank discovers official inaction in the $1 billion banking system theft, which amounts to about 12.5 percent of the GDP annually and causes a major political crisis and credit crunch.
2019 . The June-Molovovan constitutional crisis, which resulted from the February parliamentary election, saw attempts to form a new government and saw rivals vying for the positions of prime minister and speaker of the Parliament as well as the privileges and responsibilities of the president.
2020. March: A temporary state of emergency is declared as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak.
2020. November: Opposition candidate Maia Sandu, a pro-European, defeats incumbent pro-Russian leader Igor Dodon to become Moldova's first female president.
