Contradictory electoral behavior and the post-Soviet party-system in Republic of Moldova

The paper addresses the post-Soviet politics of Republic of Moldova through the perspective of the development of the political party system in Moldova and the electoral behavior of the Moldovan population.;Despite continuously worsening social and economic conditions as well as low levels of trust in political parties, high voter turnouts in parliamentary elections are still recorded after more than 15 years of independent politics in Republic of Moldova.;In order to explain this paradox, two elements of the political system of Moldova are being analyzed, the political parties and the electorate, by outlining the dominant characteristics as well as the emerging trends in the development of these two entities.;Based on this analysis several scenarios are developed with regard to the possible development of the political party system in Moldova. In addition to this a set of recommendations is offered with measures to be taken for avoiding a possible slip of Moldovan politics towards an authoritarian style of governance.