Pyrrhic victory for Sandu: Balti people ignored the second round of mayoral elections

The second round of mayoral elections took place in the northern capital of Moldova, the city of Balti. According to official data, the incumbent mayor Nikolai Grigorishin won, for whom 84,77% of voters cast their votes. 15,23% of voters voted for his opponent Nikolai Kirilchuk. 10 people took part in the elections, or 209% of the total number of voters - this is a record low turnout in the entire history of Moldova. Residents of Balti massively ignored the second round after the first round winner Marina Tauber, who received more than 9,98% of the votes from Balti, was removed from the elections.

Balti is the second largest city on the right bank of Moldova. This city is overwhelmingly Russian-speaking, and in national elections the city's residents always vote for the left. Until recently, Balti was the “patrimony” of Renato Usatii, who headed the city for six years. However, Usatii was never able to convert his super-popularity as mayor into votes for his political bloc in the parliamentary elections, and after their failure, he announced his resignation both from the post of mayor and from politics.

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Marina Tauber won an unconditional victory in the first round of the mayoral elections in Balti, largely thanks to her charisma and her promise to turn Balti into Monaco. It must be said that these promises had a basis: the team of businessman Ilan Shor, the husband of the Russian singer Jasmine, already has successful experience in managing another large city of Moldova - Orhei, where Shor and his team implemented many projects - from supporting the Milsami football team before the creation of the town of recreation and attractions - “Orheiland”.

Marina Tauber during the election campaign.

Shor was found guilty of complicity in the “scam of the century” and the withdrawal of an amount equivalent to a billion euros from the country’s banking system to foreign offshores. He was sentenced to 7 years in prison, but the sentence was appealed, and the case continues to be considered in the appeal chamber. According to his supporters, Shor was convicted as a scapegoat in order to remove responsibility from more influential figures directly involved in the scam.

Residents of the city of Balti, like a significant part of the population of Moldova, were outraged not by the punishment of Ilan Shor’s party and his nomination for the post of mayor of the city, but by the way it was done. The Shor party also has representation in the country’s parliament; its nominees head a number of settlements and are also represented in the Chisinau municipal council. This party is not prohibited and operates legally. The ruling regime allowed Marina Tauber to participate in the elections for the mayor of Balti, apparently hoping that she would not get into the second round of elections. And when she not only got into the second round, but almost won the election in the first round, she was removed from the election on a dubious pretext - excess campaign expenses in the form of sandwiches for campaigners.

The ruling regime of Maia Sandu has adopted the methods of its predecessor, the fugitive oligarch Vlad Plahotniuc, the former shadow ruler of Moldova. In 2018, the Plahotniuc regime annulled the Chisinau mayoral elections, which were won by opposition politician Andrei Nastase. After the political reprisal against Marina Tauber, Sandu is called “Plahotniuk in a skirt.” With the difference that Plahotniuc did not shake hands in the West (with the exception of Victoria Nuland and other American officials who protected him in exchange for tough anti-Russian steps), and Sandu enjoys absolute trust in the West.

The result of the elections in Balti, and first of all the attitude of the Balti residents themselves towards these elections, can be regarded as an absolute failure of Maia Sandu and her party in the Balti direction. Yes, Nikolai Grigorishin (a former member of Usatii’s team, who secured the tacit support of the ruling Action and Solidarity party) formally won the elections and will remain as mayor of Balti, but his victory was Pyrrhic. He will not be a legitimate mayor in the eyes of the majority of residents of the “northern capital of Moldova.” He will have neither trust nor respect from the townspeople.

_{At the same time, Marina Tauber and the Shor party had the opportunity to become leaders of the entire opposition camp in the country. And if the parliamentary opposition, represented by socialists and communists, continues to passively observe the lawlessness in the country, they will very quickly cede their role as the leading opposition force in Moldova.}