Republic of Moldova, among the finalists The Economist – “Country of the Year 2021” – News by sources
Every year, the prestigious magazine “The Economist” chooses or “country of the year”. The award is not given to the biggest, nor the richest, nor the happiest, in the opinion of journalists, it was the most image in 2021.
Past winners include Uzbekistan (for abolishing slavery), Colombia (for making peace) and Tunisia (for opening up to democracy). This year, the publication mentions, it was a difficult one, gloomy and only a few “stars” shone. However, the Republic of Moldova was among them.
In 2021, Covid-19 continued to spread misfortune, while such brilliantly designed vaccines were unevenly distributed and new variants emerged, such as Omicron. In many countries, civil liberties and democratic norms have been eroded. Russia’s main opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, has been jailed. Donald Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol. Civil wars have spread to Ethiopia and Myanmar. However, in the middle of the darkness, a few countries shone, writes The Economist.
Moldova, one of the poorest countries in Europe, has long been a center for money laundering in Russia. But at the end of 2020, he elected Maia Sandu, a fighter against corruption, as president, and in 2021 he entrusted the party with control in Parliament, according to The Economist.
Zambia has regained its democracy. A year ago, the country was corrupt and bankrupt. In August, its leaders tried to defraud the election, but the people voted for Hakainde Hichilema, a liberal businessman with such a large margin, if the vote fraud failed. Since then, Hichilema has reached an agreement with the IMF, promised to reduce wasteful subsidies on fuel and electricity, and began investigating corruption.
Lithuania also fought for democratic values and proved to be a courageous country. If this Baltic state were a city, it would hardly be in the top 40 in China in terms of population. However, he defied the Beijing government, allowing Taiwan to open a representative office in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. On the other hand, Lithuania has adhered to authoritarian regimes. She has provided shelter for dissidents in Belarus and Russia, including the woman who probably won Belarus’ most recent presidential election, Svetlana Tibanovskaya. Belarus’ authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko has sought revenge by forcing thousands of “imported” refugees to cross the Lithuanian border. Lithuania responded firmly, but somewhat more humanely than Poland, which Belarus provoked in the same way. “But even so, she’s not our winner,” said The Economist.
They return to Italy, reveal the magazine and argue: “Not for the mastery of its footballers, who won the grand trophy of Europe, nor for its stars, who won the Eurovision Song Contest, but for its policy. The Economist has repeatedly criticized Italy for choosing leaders such as Silvio Berlusconi, who could have usefully followed the urging of the winning Eurovision song: “Shut up and do it”. Due to poor governance, Italians were poorer in 2019 than they were in 2000. However, this year, Italy has changed. Through Mario Draghi, he gained a competent and internationally respected prime minister. For the first time, a large majority of its politicians have buried the hatchet of war to support a deep reform agenda that should ensure Italy receives the funds it is entitled to under the EU’s post-pandemic recovery plan. Italy’s vaccination rate against COVID is among the highest in Europe. And after a difficult 2020 year, its economy will recover more than that of France or Germany. “
The publication adds that there is a danger that this unusual infusion of sensitive government will be reversed, because if Mario Draghi wants to be president, to function more ceremonially, he could be succeeded by a less competent prime minister. “But it is hard to deny that today’s Italy is not a better place than it was in December 2020. For that, we declared it the country of the year (2021). Best wishes! ” – concludes The Economist.
The content of this site – not the official position of the General Secretariat of the Government Department for Romanians Everywhere.