Sergey Cheban: Plahotniuc Shows Who’s the Boss by Controlling Chisinau

On June 19 this year, the City Court of Chisinau, the capital of the Republic of Moldova, found invalid the results of local elections and mandate of the elected mayor Andrei Nastase, head of the party Platforma Demnitate si Adevăr (DA) (Dignity and Truth Platform). Reasoning of the judges was that both candidates were campaigning on the day of voting through social networks and television, encouraging citizens to come to polling stations.   On June 25, 2018, the Supreme Chamber of Justice of the Republic of Moldova considered the cassation appeal of Andrei Nastase against the first instance decision. According to the judges of the Supreme Chamber of Justice, the previous court decision has remained unchanged, due to the fact that the first instance and the Supreme Chamber of Justice considered the case in all aspects and objectively evaluated offered evidence.   What does invalidation of the Moldovan capital’s mayoral election mean and why it became possible? Our colleague from Chisinau Sergei Cheban commented on the situation especially for the RTA. The first thing that catches your eye is the reaction of ‘big brothers’ of Moldova. Apparently, this time the ruling elite of Moldova did not simulate respect for their partners and did not try to observe rules of democracy, even for the sake of decency. There is a very telling unconcealed disappointment of the EU Ambassador to Moldova [Peter – editor’s note] Michalko with the decision of the Supreme Chamber of Justice, who said that Moldova had ignored the commitments undertaken before the EU to respect democratic values, including the will of the people. The reaction of the US Embassy is also symptomatic: American diplomats wrote that public opinion had solidified that there was political interference into the judicial system. In my opinion, the given evaluation is quite obvious and high profile. It turns out that the decision upon election was taken in Chisinau itself, without regard to the ‘partners’, and this is the well-known style of Vlad Plahotniuc. In the same way, the power structure regulated by him ignored Brussels’ discontent with the electoral system changed to a mixed one. Within the existing circumstances, non-recognition of the mayoral elections plays exclusively into the hands of the Plahotniuc-Dodon tandem, as it allows to completely orchestrate future parliamentary elections and to fit them for the Plahotniuc’s Democratic Party to keep holding real power in the country. Going against the will of high Western partners, Plahotniuc is brutally flexing his muscles before the autumn parliamentary elections, showing who the real and sovereign master of Moldova is. The pressure on the judicial system is the simplest and most cynical way to demonstrate this. Secondly, cynically ruined the victory of the pro-European Nastase, the ‘coordinator’ makes it clear that not a single political force of Moldova, even the most sugar-covered, respected and welcomed in Europe, will receive real power without a formal coalition or shadow deal with the master of Moldova. Nastase tried to become an exception to the rule for at least a year – and was demonstratively punished. There is a counter example – Igor Dodon, who managed to reach an agreement with the coordinator and received a presidential post, relative stability within his party (no one outbids for MPs from the PRCM) and a political domain as a dialogue with Russia. “So be it,” Igor Dodon said ironically about recognition of the Chisinau mayoral elections as invalid, what is, by the way, also very demonstrative. Now, until the summer of 2019, Chisinau remains without a legitimately elected mayor. In accordance with the Electoral Code of Moldova, elections for this post shall not be held within the last year of the mayor’s mandate. The last year began just on June 14, that is, there will be no elections, and the city will be run by the acting mayor. I personally have no doubts that this man will be an appointee of Vlad Plahotniuc. The Chisinau mayor is an important figure, since control over the capital is not only a symbolic attribute of power over the entire country, but also a practical tool to combat possible protests in Chisinau this autumn. Thirdly, Plahotniuc himself commented on non-recognition of the elections in a very creative and cynical manner in an interview to the Moldovan media. The leader of the Democratic Party noted with a ‘sincere’ concern that the electoral code is not perfect, and the courts are unpredictable – he say, they can pull off something like this at any elections (he says, “who did it, oh, how bad”). As for me, this is a very definite message about the commitment to do everything to preserve power after the autumn elections – if the results will not work, we will cancel the results through the court just like pushing a button. This is a warning to everybody – both political rivals and international partners. It is a demonstration of usurpation, if you like. Anyone who knows his way around local political life should not have any doubts that Moldova is still a “captured state”, and the ruling power group will stop at nothing to remain the ruling one.