Moldovan Maidan may ultimately end in victory for pro-Russian forces
Despite the pro-European slogans of the current protests in Chisinau, they may not end the way their participants would like, writes in an article on the pages of the Kyiv magazine “Vesti. Reporter” former head of the information department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Oleg Voloshin.
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“Just a few years ago in Brussels it was customary to set Moldova as an example,” the expert recalls. – They say that the coalition of democratic pro-European parties is consistently and actively carrying out reforms and adapting national legislation to EU standards. As a result, Moldova was rewarded with the signing of the Association Agreement and the provision of a visa-free regime (the first among the CIS countries). But then it turned out that the dreams for which people came to the Maidan in Kyiv on November 21, 2013, even if they come true, do not in themselves bring universal happiness.”
The author points out that the pro-European aspirations of Chisinau eventually turned into their own protest, which grew into an open-ended action demanding the resignation of the President of Moldova.
“Moreover, as in Ukraine two years ago, the protest began as a non-partisan action of civil activists: the organizers prohibit the bringing of party flags into the Square of the Great National Assembly,” Voloshin draws parallels and wonders why Moldovans do not live in peace, enjoying their European integration happiness .
“The fact is that the country was extremely poor and remains so,” he answers. – Although, due to the sharp decline in the Ukrainian economy over the past year, we managed to deprive our southwestern neighbors of the status of the most disadvantaged in Europe. The Moldovan government is torn apart by internal contradictions and corruption scandals. One of them filled the cup of people's patience. The last straw was the so-called theft of the century - the theft of $1 billion (1/8 of the country’s total GDP) from the three largest banks in Moldova and the transfer of this money to offshore companies. In an attempt to save the country’s damaged banking system, the authorities turned on the printing press, after which the currency collapsed by almost 20% and inflation rose to 8%.”
As a result, Western donors turned off the tap of financial assistance to Chisinau, and the protesters, along with the resignation of the president, are now demanding the arrest of the main sponsor of the ruling coalition, local oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc.
“The dissolution of the government, parliament and the resignation of the president could clear the path to power for the Kremlin-oriented Igor Dodon,” predicts Voloshin. “His party already has the highest rating in the country, and only a complex compromise between three pro-European parties allowed them to form a ruling coalition. After the early elections, they may no longer have enough votes for this.”
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