Presidential Elections in Moldova

On November 15, Moldova concluded only its fourth direct presidential elections since independence, in which the new President was elected from multiple candidates via a two-round system. Maia Sandu, a former World Bank economist and the Prime Minister of a short-lived 2019 coalition government between pro-EU and pro-Russian political parties, defeated incumbent President Igor Dodon […]

Russian Government Reshuffle

For the first time during his presidency, on 9 November 2020, Vladimir Putin dismissed four members of Mikhail Mishustin’s Cabinet: Alexander Novak, Minister of Energy, Yevgeny Ditrikh, Minister of Transport, Vladimir Yakushev, Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities, and Dmitry Kobylkin, Minister for Natural Resources and the Environment. Igor Artemiev, who has headed the Federal […]

New Investment Policy Approaches in Russia

In early October, the Russian Government approved a number of Resolutions required for launching a new investment tool – Investment Protection and Promotion Agreements (‘IPPAs’ or ‘the Agreements’). The documents were adopted pursuant to the IPPA Law enacted on 1 April 2020. The Law has not so far been enforced because no approved agreement signing […]

Parliamentary Elections: Aftermath in Georgia

On October 31, Georgian voters went to the polls to elect the country’s new parliament for the upcoming legislative term. While the ruling Georgian Dream party (GD) emerged victorious and is on course to claim an all-out parliamentary majority, opposition parties – contradicting the largely positive assessments of international observers – have so far rejected […]