On September 9, the country was rocked by the collapse of the lei. The International Monetary Fund took steps to shore up the currency, but the agency, which had suspended aid in July 1997, continued to press Moldova to cut its large budget deficit by cutting expenditures, mainly in social programs. Political Rights and Civil Liberties Moldovans can change their government democratically under a multiparty system enshrined in the 1994 constitution. The March 1998 parliamentary vote was also free and fair. The constitution and law provide for freedom of speech and press.
Most political parties publish their own newspapers, which frequently criticize government policies.
The main private station, Catalan TV-based in Chisinau, generally avoids political issues. Freedom of religion is generally respected, though a 1992 law on religion contains restrictions that could inhibit the activities of some religious groups as it prohibits proselytizing. In 1997, a Court of Appeal ruled that the government must recognize the Bessarabian Metropoly, which has ties to the Russian Orthodox hierachy in Moscow and had sued the government after it failed to register the church in 1992. The government took the case to the Supreme Court, and the decision was overturned on a technicality. The issue remained unresolved in 1998.