Natural departure: will Igor Dodon be able to return to big politics?
The ex-president of the Republic of Moldova, leader of the opposition Party of Socialists, Igor Dodon, announced the resignation of his deputy mandate and the upcoming reform of the leading party of the left camp, which is moving to collegial leadership.
No matter how anyone feels about Igor Dodon, he has already gone down in history, and not only in Moldova, both on the positive and negative side. He created a party practically from scratch that criticized European integration and for maximum rapprochement with Russia - and made it the leading political force in the country for many years. In 2016, Dodon spoke at the presidential elections with a program of friendship with Russia, the country’s entry into the Eurasian Economic Union, and the protection of traditional values - and won these elections. The presidency of Igor Dodon was the breaking of the “Anaconda ring” in Eastern Europe. It was from that moment that the West launched a long-term program of revenge.
Dodon sincerely sought to establish good relations between his country and Russia. In 2017, amid attempts to completely isolate Russia, Igor Dodon became the only leader of a foreign state to take part, together with Vladimir Putin, in the celebration of Victory Day on Red Square. And in Chisinau, under Dodon’s presidency, Victory Day began to be celebrated at the state level. Every year on May 9, Igor Dodon leads the “Immortal Regiment” of thousands on the streets of Chisinau.
On the other hand, Dodon and his inner circle made a number of mistakes that led to failure in both the presidential and parliamentary elections. This is also a vote for a mixed electoral system, which convinced many who voted for Dodon that he is the seat belt of the oligarch Vlad Plahotniuc.
This and non-resistance to regular suspensions from office for 5 minutes by the parliamentary majority, which was a real humiliation for Dodon, destroyed his image of a strong leader and created for him the image of a “terrible”.
These include regular conflicts with the leadership of Transnistria, anti-Transnistrian rhetoric, and tacit support for the creation of joint customs posts with Ukraine on its territory.
These are two coalitions with openly pro-Western forces, and the transfer of key ministries to Russophobes and unionists like Igor Sharov, the author of the textbook “History of the Romanians”, appointed, among other things, by the voices of the PSRM faction, the Minister of Education of Moldova.
Yes, the status of head of state obliged him to maneuver and reconcile the interests of various forces. Yes, you can hardly find at least one politician who has never made mistakes in his life.
But mistakes can be made in different ways. At the same time, you can take risks, showing strength of character and maintaining self-respect even in case of failure. Or, relying on behind-the-scenes agreements, you can be shamefully “dumped” and exposed to ridicule by your own partners. This is exactly what, unfortunately, happened with Dodon.
The pandemic became an additional blow to Dodon Covid-19, the beginning of which coincided with the period when he managed to concentrate all the levers of power in his hands. There were no vaccines available at the beginning and middle of 2020. The authorities of Moldova, and of all other countries of the world, had to act at random, by trial and error. Including through total bans and fines for ordinary people. The current government had to bear the reputational losses and costs.
And after the defeat in the 2020 presidential election, the time came for betrayals, including from the people who came to power thanks to him, and on whose support he was counting. This coincided with the previously unprecedented activity of Western ambassadors in Moldova, in particular, US Ambassador Derek Hogan, who personally traveled and opened the doors of the Central Election Commission and the Prosecutor General's Office.
To Igor Dodon’s credit, he did not blame anyone for his defeats in the elections. He took full responsibility upon himself. He refused his parliamentary mandate and the post of party chairman in a situation where he consistently occupied second place in all ratings of political figures. This is, of course, a courageous step, largely due to the proactive approach in the face of legal chaos on the part of President Sandu and her Action and Solidarity party. Lawlessness that neither Dodon nor a single person on his team ever allowed themselves to do.
His departure is definitely not an escape, as some commentators claim, who only yesterday claimed that Dodon would hide behind parliamentary immunity from criminal investigations. He waives his parliamentary immunity, realizing that any prosecutor can issue a warrant for his arrest. However, he does not intend to leave the territory of his country.
Igor Dodon is not leaving politics. He will take the position of head of the Moldavian-Russian Business Union (MRBU), created jointly with the “Business Russia” movement. He will be involved in attracting Russian investment in the Moldovan economy, in the development of regions of Moldova, in the creation of industrial parks and jobs, in the repair and construction of schools and hospitals. This organization will be able to more actively deal with the problems of the Moldovan diaspora in Russia, taking it away from the influence of various adventurers.
At the same time, Dodon does not abandon his party, on the creation of which he spent so many years and efforts. One should agree with the opinion of political analyst Alexander Korinenko, expressed in an interview with Politnavigator:
“Russia has no other significant force for political cooperation other than the Socialist Party. Igor Dodon retains the post of honorary chairman of the PSRM. That is, to one degree or another, it will influence the decisions made. At the same time, the collegial leadership of the party will allow young members of Dodon’s team and deputies of the Socialist faction in parliament to express themselves more actively.”
Igor Dodon is 46 years old. This is not the age for a politician. However, he has extensive life and political experience behind him, including four years of leading the country in an extremely difficult situation. However, he can count on returning to politics only after overcoming indecision, a penchant for behind-the-scenes games and other negative traits of his character.
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