Why democracy and human rights failed (so far) in Eastern Europe: Case of Moldova
The Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism welcomes Moldovan human rights researcher and practitioner Slava Balan. He will examine the various reasons why Moldova failed to attain a democratic regime.
RSVP: pierre-alexandr.cardinal [at] mail.mcgill.ca.
Abstract
In 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, 15 new independent states formed in its place in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia. Except for three Baltic states – now members of the EU – transition to democracy and human rights in the remaining 12 states can hardly be called successful. “Irreplaceable” leaders, profaned democratic institutions, and gross human rights violations are the hallmarks of many regimes in Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia.
After a relatively good start in early 1990s and a promising breakthrough in 2010-2012, by 2018 however, Moldova slipped into what many describe as “captured state” – a state captured by an oligarch and his clan. The Moldovan democracy was not long-lived, and broke with little effort.
The failure of democracy and human rights in Moldova and other states of the region stems from faulty foundations of democratic transition, since from the establishment of these newly independent states to our days. To a large extent, democracy building in these states transformed into a merely mechanical creation of “democratic institutions” – Parliament, elections, Constitution, Constitutional Court – without developing democracy and human rights culture at the grassroots level – at home, at workplaces, at schools and in local communities.
With endemic patriarchal relations in families, highly prevalent authoritarian leadership style at workplace, in private and public institutions, lack of self-organization and search for “higher authorities” or “external powers”, it is difficult for someone ascending to high state positions from such a grassroots medium to become a democratic and rights-based leader. It is equally challenging for the solemnly established democratic institutions – Parliament, elections, Constitution, Constitutional Court – to become filled with democracy-understanding public servants. It is generally difficult to perform democratically, without consistently experiencing democracy from childhood throughout life.
The failed democratic transition owes to both, national strategic decision-makers in the countries of the region, but equally so to the major assistance-providing development partners – bilateral and multilateral.
About the speaker
Veaceslav (Slava) Balan is a human rights researcher and practitioner who led the work of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Moldova from 2015to 2018. Before joining OHCHR in 2015, he worked with UN Women and UNDP in Moldova, as well as with Amnesty International Moldova. In 2004-2007, he lectured at the Moldovan Academy of Public Administration.
Slava holds license in law from Moldova State University (2000), LL.M. in Comparative Constitutional Law from the Central European University (2002), and LL.M. in Comparative Law from UUֱ in Canada (2015). He is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Law.
Slava’s current areas of professional and academic interest include United Nations human rights system, human rights based approach to development and law, protection of minorities. Slava’s master research project at UUֱ concerned “Equality Mainstreaming on Main Streets: A Human Rights Based Approach to Municipal Development (Sweden, Moldova and Canada)”.
