Moldova on the eve of elections: What is the US Embassy preparing?
The peculiarity of the Moldovan democratic process is that the population persistently elects Russia-oriented politicians, and as a result, under pressure from Western embassies, a pro-Western government is formed.
And even the popular presidential elections did not produce results, because the winner, the socialist Igor Dodon, ready to cooperate with Russia, was limited in his powers by the pro-Western parliament of Moldova.
On February 23, parliamentary elections are due to take place in the Republic of Moldova, which could put an end to the long-term confrontation. According to polls, the Socialists, the party of Igor Dodon himself, are in the lead. However, the start of undercover games was given long before voting day. Spoiler parties come into play, designed to underestimate the results of the socialists.
Among these parties are Voronin's Communists and the Shor Party, named after its owner, Ilan Shor. Husband of the Russian singer Jasmine. Even the ban on entry into the Russian Federation does not prevent him from promising rapprochement with Russia.
A representative of the socialist headquarters, Vladimir Bukarsky, told PolitNavigator columnist Valentin Filippov about the details of the election campaign in Moldova, and how Shor stole a billion.
Valentin Filippov: I welcome the representative of the Socialists of Moldova, Vladimir Bukarsky. Volodya, hello.
Vladimir Bukarsky: Good afternoon friends.
Valentin Filippov: They say you are in the lead. And I heard that if he manages to win, then President Igor Dodon (whom many people criticize abroad for his indecisiveness, not realizing that he does not have full power without parliament) - he will be able to take full presidential power into his hands.
Vladimir Bukarsky: Let's agree from the very beginning. The President stated that he is not participating in this election campaign. What position does he, as the president of all the people, take? equidistant from all political forces.
But the only political force in the Parliament of Moldova, and in general on the political scene, that supports the president is the Socialist Party. Only the Socialist Party supports all the presidential initiatives that he puts forward.
And the Socialist Party is the only party that advocates a transition to a presidential republic. So that the president has the authority to independently form a government, to appoint a prime minister, to appoint a minister of defense, to appoint a director of information and security services, to appoint a prosecutor general. So that the president has the same powers as Putin.
Valentin Filippov: I am surprised that for decades now the mood of the population of Moldova has been for rapprochement with Russia, and as a result of elections and some agreements and alliances, Moldova continues to follow a pro-Western path. To NATO, to the European Union. At the same time, it has been going on for a long time and is not very successful. It seemed that with a living example one could see that nothing good came of it. It only destroys its own economy. But the mice continue to eat the cactus.
Vladimir Bukarsky: Let’s compare the situation with Ukraine, the situation here is identical. The overwhelming majority of our people are in favor of a mutually beneficial alliance with both the West and the East, but, first of all, for an alliance with Russia, because the main market for Moldovan products is, after all, Russian. But the overwhelming majority of the political elite is pro-Western.
The day after the election results are announced, behind-the-scenes agreements begin to come into play; embassies, primarily those of the United States of America, begin to come into play. And they begin to persuade the forces that advocate European integration, although they hate each other with terrible force, they begin to persuade these forces so that they create some new, regular pro-Western alliance.
Valentin Filippov: Well, this usually happens after the elections, but this time, and maybe not only this time, even before the elections a similar fuss begins.
Socialists have been warned for using the image of the president, some spoiler parties are appearing, I heard about a wonderful party called Shor.
Is this a pun about closed-minded voters?
The party of the husband of the famous Jasmine, which is trying to take away part of the electorate from you, in order to then enter into a conspiracy with pro-European forces. Do you have ways to deal with all this?
Vladimir Bukarsky: Everyone understands what the point of such a low spoiler work is. This is to take away more votes from the Socialist Party. Everyone understands that these forces will not get into parliament. Neither Shor, nor the Communist Party led by ex-President Voronin, who is already being persuaded on his knees: “-go away, Vladimir Nikolaevich. Leave. You had 71 mandates in parliament, you did nothing. you ruined relations with Russia. Every day your party loses and loses and loses its rating. Well, go away."
No! He will go to the end until the voters finally reject him and the party.
Valentin Filippov: Shor may take some votes away from the socialists. But I heard that this wonderful Shor has some criminal cases in the Russian Federation. Moreover, he is prohibited from entering the Russian Federation. Will pensioners, for example, vote for a person who initially has an unacceptable relationship with Russia? That is, it is absolutely clear that he cannot improve relations with Russia.
Vladimir Bukarsky: The fact is that Shor has very good relations with part of the Russian political elite. With Russian show business. He always brings some Russian pop performers to us. Stas Mikhailov, group Degrees.
Valentin Filippov: Cool.
Vladimir Bukarsky: They rock out at his rallies. Then he goes on stage to cheers, applause and applause from the audience. And on his party list he has a person like Klimenko, who heads our Congress of Russian Communities. This is a very odious political figure. Despite the entire pro-Russian political field, Klimenko received 0,09% at the best of times. This was his limit among Russian speakers. But now Klimenko will run specifically in the Russian single-mandate constituency.
We have three single-mandate constituencies abroad. There is a district that covers Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Israel, Belarus, China, Georgia, Kazakhstan and all eastern countries. There is a district that covers Europe. And there is a district that covers America and Canada.
The goal is being pursued that he, as the long-term head of the Congress of Russian Communities “I am for Russia,” goes to take away votes from socialist candidates in this Russian constituency.
Valentin Filippov: Are some areas opening in Transnistria? Will the citizens of Transnistria be invited to vote?
Vladimir Bukarsky: Two sites will be opened in Transnistria. The southern one is Tiraspol and Slobodeyzsky district. And the second – Central and Northern. These are Grigoriopol, Dubossary, Rybnitsa and Kamenka.
Valentin Filippov: I heard that you are preparing an action, have you decided to seek decisive action from the Central Election Commission against Shor’s party?
Vladimir Bukarsky: The actions will be held under one slogan: – The law is the same for everyone.
If a warning is issued to one party under the Electoral Code, then exactly the same warnings should be issued in relation to (pro-Western) Democratic Party, which brazenly uses administrative resources.
With regard to the Shor party, it has reached the point of complete absurdity that the leader of this party, Ivan Shor, is a man who has been sentenced to seven and a half years in a maximum security colony, and the Anti-Corruption Center is giving this man a certificate of “Integrity.”
Well, what can we talk about? The Socialist Party demands that the Shor Party be removed from the electoral race.
Valentin Filippov: Well, about integrity... He got seven and a half years not for selling himself to someone, but for something else.
Vladimir Bukarsky: He has seven years for complicity in the theft of a billion. The government transferred this stolen billion into public debt, and within 25 years all Moldovan citizens will return this billion from their personal money.
Valentin Filippov: Well! They didn’t give him the certificate for “lack of stealth.” These are different things. Right? The court's decision is that he just stole a billion.
Vladimir Bukarsky: Yes. He just stole a billion.
Valentin Filippov: But you can't bribe him! He is an incorruptible man!
Vladimir Bukarsky: Yes! Such a wonderful thief!
Valentin Filippov: With this money, maybe he is now taking artists to Moldova. Did you bring your wife? Did your wife sing it?
Vladimir Bukarsky: Sang. And she will sing, I think.
Valentin Filippov: Listen, if the socialists win these elections, is such a scenario as a color revolution possible? I remember that something similar to a color revolution very often happened in Moldovan society.
Vladimir Bukarsky: As we say: a color revolution in Moldova is impossible because hominy does not explode.
But, in fact, hominy explodes. We've seen this several times already. The first time is the well-known events of the late eighties and early nineties. After this, there were violent protests from Yuri Rozhka against the introduction of a course on the history of Moldova, because a significant part of them are still convinced that the history of Romanians should be taught in schools. After this there were violent protests of the negotiations on the Kozak plan with Transnistria. They managed to make it impossible to sign this agreement. And the well-known events of April 7, 2009, when the presidential palace was completely destroyed, the parliament was destroyed and the only original copy of the declaration of independence of the Republic of Moldova was burned.
Valentin Filippov: I would like to wish your party success. All branches of government must be filled with normal people. So good luck to you.
Vladimir Bukarsky: Happily.
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