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Unification of Moldavia
Unification of Moldavia
Romania.
Background[edit]
See also: Greater Romania, History of Moldova, Unification of Moldavia and Wallachia, and Union
of Bessarabia with Romania
The Principality of Moldavia was a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire and its eastern territories
between the Prut and the Dniestr (approximately half of the principality) were annexed by
the Russian Empire in 1812, in accordance with the Treaty of Bucharest. The Russians referred to
this new region as Bessarabia, taking a name that had previously only applied to a southern portion
of the region (known also as the "Budjak") and extending it to cover the entire newly annexed
territory. The name derives from the Wallachian Basarab dynasty, who had presided over the
southern portion in the Middle Ages. During the Russian Revolution of 1917, a newly formed
regional parliament (Sfatul Țării) declared Bessarabia's autonomy within Russia. In 1918, after the
Romanian army entered Bessarabia, the makeshift parliament decided on independence, only to
review its position and ultimately decide on a conditional union with Romania. The conditions,
including the provisions for autonomy, were ultimately dropped. [3] This unification is now
commemorated by unionists in Romania and Moldova as the Day of the Union of Bessarabia with
Romania on 27 March.[4][5][6]
In 1940, during World War II, Romania agreed to an ultimatum and ceded Moldova to the Soviet
Union, which organized it into the Moldavian SSR. In the middle of 1941, Romania joined the Axis
Powers in the invasion of the Soviet Union, recovering Bessarabia and northern Bukovina, as well as
occupying the territory to the east of the Dniester it dubbed "Transnistria". By the end of World War
II, the Soviet Union had reconquered all of the lost territories, reestablishing Soviet authority there.
The Soviets strongly promoted the Moldovan ethnic identity, against other opinions that viewed all
speakers of the Romanian language as part of a single ethnic group, taking advantage of the
incomplete integration of Bessarabia into the interwar Romania. [7]
The official Soviet policy also stated that Romanian and Moldovan were two different languages and,
to emphasize this distinction, Moldovan had to be written in a new Cyrillic alphabet (the Moldovan
Cyrillic alphabet) based on the reformed Russian Cyrillic, rather than the obsolete Romanian Cyrillic
alphabet that ceased to be used in the 19th century in the Old Kingdom and 1917 in Bessarabia. [8]
Current trends[edit]
1991–
108,000
2001
2002–
7,500
2008
2009 22,000
2010 41,800
2011 69,800
2012 73,800
2013 64,900
2014 61,800[100]
2015 47,300
2016 63,000
2017 85,400
2018 47,200
2019 43,600
2020 73,900
2021 42,400
Total 852,400
Action 2012[edit]
Main article: Action 2012
Young protesters demanding Romanian president, Klaus
Union Council[edit]
In February 2012, the Union Council was created to "gather all unionists" in order to "promote the
idea of Romanian national unity". Among the signatories: Mircea Druc former Moldovan prime-
minister, Alexandru Mosanu former speaker of the Moldovan Parliament, Vitalia
Pavlicenco president of the Moldovan National Liberal Party, Vladimir Beșleagă writer, Constantin
Tănase director of the Moldovan newspaper Timpul de dimineață, Val Butnaru president of Jurnal
Trust Media, Oleg Brega journalist and activist, Nicu Țărnă soloist of the Moldovan rock
band Gândul Mâței, and Tudor Ionescu, president of the Romanian neo-fascist association Noua
Dreaptă, Valentin Dolganiuc, former Moldovan MP, Eugenia Duca, Moldovan businesswoman,
Anton Moraru, Moldovan professor of history, Eugen Mihalache, vice president of People's
Party, Dan Diaconescu and others.[105][106][107]
Union marches[edit]
Public opinion[edit]
Moldova[edit]
The International Republican Institute in partnership with Gallup, Inc. regularly conducts polls in the
Republic of Moldova on several social and political issues.[138] The following results reflect the public
stance in Moldova on the question of reunification:
Don't
Fully Somewhat Somewhat Fully
Date Question know/No
support support oppose oppose
opinion
Do you support or
Aug–
oppose the reunification
Sep 11% 20% 16% 43% 10%
of the Republic of
2011[140]
Moldova with Romania?
A poll conducted by IRI in Moldova in November 2008 showed that 29% of the population would
support a union with Romania, while 61% would reject it.[141][142]
The pro-Unionist NGO "Romanian Centre of Strategic Studies" published reports claiming
significantly higher support for the idea:
Don't
Fully Somewhat Somewhat Fully
Date Question know/No
support support oppose oppose
opinion
I don't
I
For Against know/ No
Date Question wouldn't
unification unification I haven't answer
vote
decided
If a referendum took
place next Sunday
regarding the
November unification of the
20.6% 52.7% 9.4% 13.8% 3.5%
2015[144] Republic of Moldova
and Romania, would
you vote for or against
the unification?
If a referendum took
place next Sunday
regarding the
April unification of the
17.3% 66.1% 4% 11.5% 1.1%
2016[144] Republic of Moldova
and Romania, would
you vote for or against
the unification?
If a referendum took
place next Sunday
regarding the
October unification of the
15.6% 63.8% 8.1% 11.8% 0.8%
2016[144] Republic of Moldova
and Romania, would
you vote for or against
the unification?
If a referendum took
place next Sunday
regarding the
April unification of the
23.0% 58.1% 8.2% 8.6% 2.0%
2017[144] Republic of Moldova
and Romania, would
you vote for or against
the unification?
If a referendum took
place next Sunday
regarding the
November unification of the
21.7% 56.2% 7.1% 12.7% 2.3%
2017[144] Republic of Moldova
and Romania, would
you vote for or against
the unification?
If a referendum took
place next Sunday
regarding the
April unification of the
24.0% 57.0% 9.0% 9.0% 1.0%
2018[145] Republic of Moldova
and Romania, would
you vote for or against
the unification?
The Socio-Political Barometer, released several times a year by IMAS Moldova, also included the
question about the reunification
I don't
I
For Against know/ No
Date Question wouldn't
unification unification I haven't answer
vote
decided
If a referendum took
place next Sunday
regarding the
May unification of the
24.0% 65.0% 4.0% 7.0% 0.0%
2017[149] Republic of Moldova
and Romania, would
you vote for or against
the unification?
If a referendum took
place next Sunday
regarding the
July unification of the
25.0% 61.0% 4.0% 15.0% 3.0%
2017[150] Republic of Moldova
and Romania, would
you vote for or against
the unification?
If a referendum took
place next Sunday
regarding the
December unification of the
32.0% 54.0% 3.0% 9.0% 3.0%
2017[151] Republic of Moldova
and Romania, would
you vote for or against
the unification?
If a referendum took
place next Sunday
regarding the
February unification of the
25.0% 62.0% 3.0% 8.0% 2.0%
2018[152] Republic of Moldova
and Romania, would
you vote for or against
the unification?
If a referendum took
place next Sunday
regarding the
June unification of the
37.0% 52.0% 2.0% 7.0% 2.0%
2020[154] Republic of Moldova
and Romania, would
you vote for or against
the unification?
I don't
I
For Against know/ No
Date Question wouldn't
unification unification I haven't answer
vote
decided
If next Sunday a
referendum took place
11 – 20
for the unification of
March 23% 63% 7% 6% 0%
the Republic of
2016[156][157]
Moldova and Romania
you would vote
The company iData has regularly included a question about unification in its polls. One from the
second half of March 2021, with 1,314 participants, stated that 43.9% of Moldova would vote to
reuniting with Romania if given a referendum within a week, and 67.8% of Moldova wanted to join
the European Union (EU).[159][160] Another poll from the same company, conducted between May 19–
28 of 2021, with 1,227 participants, determined that 41.6% of Moldova would vote to unite with
Romania if given a referendum within a week, and 67.3% of Moldova supported joining the EU. [161]
Another poll was organized in June 2021 by a group of several companies. On it, 35.0% of
Moldovans said they would vote for unification with Romania and 47.3% said they would vote
against.[162] The number of people in favor of the unification increased to 41.2% as shown by a poll
from iData made between 21 and 28 July 2021 with 1,065 participants, including some from
Transnistria.[163] The collaboration between the two countries during the COVID-19 pandemic has
also led to an increase in the number of supporters of the unification. [164][165][166][167]
In September 2021, iData made a new poll, in which 70% of Moldovans expressed their desire to
join the European Union and in which 40% of Moldovans declared they supported the unification of
Moldova and Romania.[168] In October 2021, 43.8% of participants of a poll of the same company
voted for the unification with Romania, [169] this number being 41.2% in a November 2021 poll.[170]
A January 2022 poll from iData showed that 38.4% of Moldovans would support unification with
Romania.[171] Later, a January–February 2022 poll by CBS Research showed that 34.4% of
Moldovans would want to unite with Romania and that 49.9% would oppose this. [172] A posterior poll
conducted between 27 April and 6 May 2022 showed 35.2% of Moldovans favored union while
50.6% opposed it.[173] Another poll made between 5 May and 14 May showed 34.7% of Moldovans
supported union and 49.7% of them opposed it.[174]
In May 2022, a poll in Moldova found that 30.7% supported reunification, while 27.1% were in favour
of recognizing Transnistria's independence. [175] In June 2022, another Moldovan poll found 35.2%
supported unification.[176] In September 2022, 34.6% of Moldovans did so.[177] This increased to 39.7%
in a 29 September–11 October poll, believed to be because of changes in Romanian legislation that
allowed the sale of electricity to Moldova at preferential prices to combat the country's energy
crisis at the time.[178][179] According to a poll conducted between 16 and 23 November, 42.5% of
Moldovans would vote in favor and 57.5% against. [180]
Romania[edit]
A poll conducted in November–December 2010 and extensively analyzed in the study The Republic
of Moldova in the Romanian public awareness (Republica Moldova în conștiința publică
românească)[181] addressed the issue of reunification.
Don't
Strongly Partially Partially Strongly
Question know/No
agree agree disagree disagree
opinion
A similar survey carried out in Romania in June 2012 by the Romanian Centre of Strategic Studies
showed the following results:[182]
Don't know/No
Question Yes No
opinion
According to a poll conducted by the Romanian Institute for Evaluation and Strategy (IRES) on 29
November 2013, 76% of Romanians agree with the union of Romania and Moldova, while only 18%
oppose a possible union.[183][184]
I I don't I Don't
Question
agree agree know
Do you personally agree with the unification of the Republic of
76% 18% 6%
Moldova with Romania
A poll by INSCOP, conducted between 9–14 July 2015, [185] asked about the unification by 2018.
Question Answer
I support the unification of Romania with the Republic of Moldova by 2018 (the
67.9%
centennial anniversary of the Great Union)
I do not support the unification of Romania with the Republic of Moldova by 2018 (the
14.8%
centennial anniversary of the Great Union)
Unification scenarios[edit]
There are several possible scenarios for a possible unification of Moldavia with Romania:
The political Union of the Republic of Moldova and Romania by merging into a single state, into
the present "de jure" (legal) borders (which implies the new state taking over Transnistria as a
territorial unit without considerations for the Russian military presence in the area) and
regardless of the political and administrative situation of the current territorial units, which can be
preserved or reformed within the new state;
Political Union of the Republic of Moldova and Romania by merging it into one state, at the
current "de facto" borders (which implies the new state giving up the territory controlled by the
breakaway state of Transnistria, which will then have a choice between independence, joining
Ukraine or joining Russia: This was called by the press "Belkovsky Plan").[190][191][192][193] Romania
could also give Transnistria to Ukraine, receiving an equal share in the area of Chernivtsi
Oblast or Odessa Oblast, where important communities of Romanians exist.[194][195]
The political Union of the Republic of Moldova and Romania by federalization of the two States
(which would keep the political sovereignty of each state) in an economic, monetary, customs
and military community (this option is inspired by Mircea Snegur's "one people, two States"
idea).[196]
Supporters of unification[edit]
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defined, unverified or indiscriminate. Please help this article to clean it
up to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Where appropriate, incorporate
items into the main body of the article. (October 2021)
Republic of Moldova[edit]
Political parties[edit]