Only about 10 to 12 parties meet the criteria. Moldova has no law on trade unions, which has blocked the registration of independent unions. There are several hundred nongovernmental organizations registered in Moldova, among them women s groups, student organizations, policy institutes, and environmental groups. Trials are generally open to the public. The constitutional court exercises judicial review and has overturned actions of parliament and the president.
Prison conditions remain poor, and there are reports of detainees being mistreated.
There has been little progress in legal and judicial reform, and Moldova still lacks a new penal code. In 1999 a new project aimed at strengthening the judiciary was launched by the UNDP, and a government center for human rights was established. Moldova has ratified the Council of Europe s Convention on the Protection of Ethnic Minorities. In a referendum in early 1999 the Bulgarian minority in Taraclia opposed attempts to end their autonomous status. In August President Lucinschi asked parliament to change the constitution to make Romanian the state language, a move opposed by the Communist opposition.