ABSTRACT
Since Moldova achieved independence in 1991 its parliament has played a key, if sporadic, role in determining the direction of the country's political life. It has been the primary venue for the fractious elite conflict that has plagued reform efforts. It has not, however, emerged as a stable institutional foundation upon which a democratic political system could be built. During much of the 1990s parliamentary leaders were embroiled in an on-again-off-again conflict with the presidency for control over the policy process. The nearly continuous political turmoil that plagued all aspects of Moldovan political life severely affected the parliament as well, both inhibiting its capacity and disrupting its institutional development.
