Political surprises are not an everyday occurence in Pridnestrovie where political life ever since independence in 1990 has been dominated by the ‘fathers’ of independence: In particular, its President, Igor Smirnov and the ex-Chairman of Parliament, Grigori Maracutsa.
Over the same period, the 43 member parliament has been dominated by Smirnov loyalists who have tended to stand as independent candidates in the republic’s elections.

So it took everyone by surprise when a reformist opposition party swept to power in two elections in 2005, gathering the majority of the votes in both events.
The country's main opposition party, Renewal (founded in 2000), is led by the young Yevgeny Shevchuk, [0] 38, a lawyer and former bank manager.

In March, 2005, Renewal gained the largest number of votes in local elections. Emboldened by this victory its 17 MPs attempted to force a vote to change the status of the republic from a presidential to a parliamentary republic. However, they failed to get the necessary quorum. Had they succeeded, Mr. Smirnov’s power would have been reduced.

In December, 2005, Renewal made an even stronger showing. In the country's free and democratic parliamentary elections, its share of MPs increased from the previous 17 (a minority in Parliament) to a solid majority of 23. In addition, 6 other candidates have joined the reform block, for a total of 29 pro-opposition candidates out of 43. With the success came a change in the old guard: Grigori Maracutsa was ousted as Speaker of Parliament, and instead Renewal-leader Yevgeni Shevchuk took the job.

The party's democratic credentials are not in doubt. Pro-business and pro-Western, Renewal used its success in the local elections to bring changes to Pridnestrovie's electoral code, with more transparency and citizen participation. All of the OSCE guidelines for free and democratic elections were implemented, and most of the chairmen of local polling stations as well as many commission members were replaced. During parliamentary elections on 11 December 2005, international election observers from the British Helsinki Human Rights Group reported that they found only two polling stations chairmen who had served in that capacity in the past.

What is new about Renewal? The party's economic expert Mikhail Burla explains that there are no disagreements among any of the political parties about Pridnestrovie's continued independence, which all of them (and almost all of their voters) firmly support. Differences begin to appear in the field of economics.
“ - Pridnestrovie has an incomplete market economy”, says Renewal's Burla. Renewal wants the privatization programme to be intensified in order to bring in investment, both local and foreign.

The spokesman for Renewal is the young, charismatic Speaker of Parliament, Yevgeni Shevchuk, who is popular in Western circles. A 2005 report by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe refers approvingly to him by name.

However, in terms of giving up Pridnestrovie's statehood or its domestic sovereignty, it is unlikely that Renewal or anyone else in Pridnestrovie will be seduced into accepting a version of the ‘Yushchenko Plan’ modelled on the post-war Dayton Agreement which federalized Bosnia. Despite promises to the contrary, and despite assurances of autonomy for Srpska, in late 2005 the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia had all but abandoned the country’s federal status. For all their losses, the hapless citizens of Srpska was left with nothing but worthless promises (as defined at Dayton) while the powers in Bosnia set about re-centralizing the state,

Renewal’s Mikhael Burla and his party are pointedly aware of the pitfalls with such a plan. Like all other political groups in Pridnestrovie, be it government or opposition alike, Renewal stands firm on independence. It is merely a matter of facing reality: Pridnestrovie is already a separate country, and well on its way to celebrating two full decades of independence. Now, all eyes are on tweaking and reforming so as to make the economy even more European. There is no talk of ever joining Moldova, or any other country for that matter.

Today in Pridnestrovie, one of the leading young politicians of the new Europe, Yevgeny Shevchuk is on the forefront of reform. Click here to read more on the man who is leading the wave of democratic renewal in Pridnestrovie. [0]

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