Preview

Journal of International Analytics

Advanced search

The Phenomenon of the Moldovan Diaspora in the Modern Electoral Process of the Republic of Moldova

https://doi.org/10.46272/2587-8476-2025-16-2-118-135

Abstract

This article examines the unique phenomenon of the Moldovan diaspora’s influence on electoral processes in the Republic of Moldova. The author analyzes the historical, economic, and social factors that have contributed to the mass migration of Moldovan citizens abroad, as well as the formation of diaspora communities. Particular attention is paid to the role of the diaspora in the 2020 and 2024 presidential elections in Moldova, where its participation proved decisive in shaping the voting outcomes. Using these elections as case studies, the article demonstrates how pro-Western political forces, particularly the Action and Solidarity Party and President Maia Sandu, successfully mobilized the diaspora to support their agenda. The study also explores programs and initiatives aimed at engaging the diaspora, and their impact on the country’s political dynamics.

The author concludes that the diaspora has evolved into a powerful political instrument capable of significantly altering election results, despite the internal divisions within Moldovan society.

About the Author

N. V. Bodishteanu
HSE University
Russian Federation

Nicole V. Bodishteanu, PhD (Polit. Sci.), Analyst at the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies (CCEIS), Lecturer at the School of International Affairs,

17, Malaya Ordynka street, Moscow, 119017


Competing Interests:

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.



References

1. Дятлов, В.И. Диаспора: исследовательская и общественно-политическая нагрузка на термин и понятие в современной России // Азиатская Россия: миграции, регионы и регионализм в исторической динамике: сб. науч. статей. Иркутск, 2010. C. 245–267. = Dyatlov, Viktor I. “Diaspora: Research and Socio-Political Implications for the Term and Concept in Contemporary Russia.” In Asian Russia: Migrations, Regions and Regionalism in Historical Dynamics. Irkutsk, 2010. P. 245–267 [In Russian].

2. Мармуляк, Е.И., Левшенков, В.Б. Молдавская диаспора – «непараллельный электорат»? // Постсоветский материк. 2020. № 4 (28). С. 4–16. = Marmulyak, Evgeny I., and Vladimir B. Levshenkov. “Moldovan Diaspora as a ‘Non-Parallel Electorate?’” Postsovetsky materik 28, no. 4 (2020): 4–16 [In Russian].

3. Мошняга, В. Становление молдавской диаспоры и миграционная политика Республики Молдова // Moldoscopie. 2013. Т. 63. № 4. С. 18–34. = Moshnyaga, Valeriu. “The Formation of the Moldovan Diaspora and Migration Policy of the Republic of Moldova.” Moldoscopie 63, no. 4 (2013): 18–34 [In Russian].

4. Русу, С.В. Эмиграция из Республики Молдова в страны ОЭСР с 1991 по 2020 гг.: тенденции и регулирование. Кандидатская диссертация. МГИМО, 2024. = Rusu, Svetlana V. Emigration from the Republic of Moldova to OECD Countries from 1991 to 2020: Trends and Regulation. PhD Thesis. Moscow: MGIMO University, 2024 [In Russian].

5. Armstrong, John A. “Mobilized and Proletarian Diasporas.” American Political Science Review 70, no. 2 (1976): 393–408.

6. Cohen, Robin. Global Diasporas: An Introduction. 2nd ed. London: Routledge, 2008.

7. Coleman, David, and John Salt. The Demographic Characteristics of the Ethnic Minority Populations. London: HMSO, 1996.

8. Enachi, Andrei. “Contribuţia diasporei la procesul de integrare europeană a Republicii Moldova.” In Dialoguri de pace în Moldova: integrare socială, politici şi strategii de acomodare din perspectiva academică, 159–167. Chișinău: Centrul Editorial-Poligrafic al Universităţii de Stat din Moldova, 2015. = Enachi, Andrei. “Diaspora Contribution to the European Integration of the Republic of Moldova.” In Peace Dialogues in Moldova: Social Integration, Policies and Accommodation Strategies from an Academic Perspective, 159–167. Chișinău: Centrul EditorialPoligrafic al Universităţii de Stat din Moldova, 2015 [In Romanian].

9. Enachi, Andrei. “Diaspora în procesul de europenizare a Republicii Moldova și contribuția la dezvoltarea țării de origine.” In Migrație, Diaspora, Dezvoltare: noi provocări și perspective, 184–192. Chișinău: Institutului de Cercetări Juridice şi Politice al Academiei de Ştiinţe a Moldovei, 2016. = Enachi, Andrei. “Diaspora in the Process of Europeanisation of Moldova and Contribution to the Development of Country of Origin.” In Migration, Diaspora, Development: New Challenges and Perspectives, 184–192. Chișinău: Institutului de Cercetări Juridice şi Politice al Academiei de Ştiinţe a Moldovei, 2016 [In Romanian].

10. Enachi, Andrei. “Diaspora Lobbying European Future for the Republic of Moldova: Case Study of Moldovan Diaspora Participation in the Last Presidential Elections.” In Diasporas in the Modern World: Regional Context and Potential for Sustainable Development of the Country of Origin, 67–74. Chișinău: “Print-Caro” SRL, 2017.

11. Hensel, Stephan, and Alexei Gudim. “Moldova’s Economic Transition: Slow and Contradictory.” In The EU and Moldova: On a Fault-Line of Europe, edited by Ann Lewis, 89–102. London: Federal Trust for Education & Research, 2004.

12. Huntington, Samuel P. The Third Wave: Democratization in the Late Twentieth Century. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1991.

13. Lozovanu, Dorin. “Diaspora Republicii Moldova: concept, aspecte istorico-geografice și geodemografice.” Mediul şi dezvoltarea durabilă (2020): 274–277. = Lozovanu, Dorin. “The Diaspora of the Republic of Moldova: Concept, Historical-Geographical and Geodemographic Aspects.” Mediul şi dezvoltarea durabilă (2020): 274–277 [In Romanian].

14. McDonagh, Ecaterina. “Is Democracy Promotion Effective in Moldova? The Impact of European Institutions on Development of Civil and Political Rights in Moldova.” Democratization 15, no. 1 (2008): 142–161. https://doi.org/10.1080/13510340701770022.

15. Moraru, Victor, and Ecaterina Deleu. “Discursul partidelor politice din Republica Moldova privind migrația și diaspora.” Revista de Filosofie, Sociologie şi Ştiinţe Politice 185, no. 1 (2021): 5–17. = Moraru, Victor, and Ecaterina Deleu. “The Discourse of Political Parties in the Republic of Moldova Regarding Migration and Diaspora.” Revista de Filosofie, Sociologie şi Ştiinţe Politice 185, no. 1 (2021): 5–17 [In Romanian].

16. Moșneaga, Valeriu. “Politicile Republicii Moldova în domeniul diasporei: esența, evoluția, direcțiile și programele de bază.” Analele Ştiinţifice ale Universităţii de Studii Europene din Moldova (2024): 57–73. = Moșneaga, Valeriu. “Policies of the Republic of Moldova in the Diaspora Field: Essence, Evolution, Main Directions and Basic Programs.” Analele Ştiinţifice ale Universităţii de Studii Europene din Moldova (2024): 57–73 [In Romanian].

17. Safran, William. “Diasporas in Modern Societies: Myths of Homeland and Return.” Diaspora: A Journal of Transnational Studies 1, no. 1 (Spring 1991): 83–99.

18. Tabac, Tatiana, and Olga Gagauz. “Migration from Moldova: Trajectories and Implications for the Country of Origin.” In Migration from the Newly Independent States: 25 Years After the Collapse of the USSR, edited by Mikhail Denisenko, Salvatore Strozza and Matthew Light, 143–168. New York: Springer, 2020.


Review

For citations:


Bodishteanu N.V. The Phenomenon of the Moldovan Diaspora in the Modern Electoral Process of the Republic of Moldova. Journal of International Analytics. 2025;16(2):118-135. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.46272/2587-8476-2025-16-2-118-135

Views: 433


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.


ISSN 2587-8476 (Print)
ISSN 2541-9633 (Online)