Socialists are planning to protest. Why now?

Sergei Ceban comments the goal of the protest in November and its beneficiaries   On November 18, the Socialist Party of Moldova will hold a protest in Chisinau, stated the executive secretary of the Socialist Party Vlad Batrîncea and the executive secretary on ideology Ion Ceban. The socialists are going to present the party’s strategy until February 24, 2019 and promise that “tens of thousands of people” will attend the street protest. PSRM is the most numerous political actor represented in the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova. But will there be enough energy and its resources to protest for three months, smoothly turning into either a thumping and peremptory victory, or a final battle with the anti-popular regime to the bitter end? If neither the first nor the second option is set as a goal, then this mass action will not be an analogy to the historical shot of the Cruiser Aurora. There is a risk that the planned popular protests will become a massive false start of the socialists. Moreover, experienced “chess player” Igor Dodon did obviously understand the Democratic Party’s idea of postponing the elections to February 2019, which allowed extinguishing “right-wing protests” and shifting all street activities after the Christmas holidays. Most likely, the protest meeting on November, 18 has specific instrumental goals that are not directly related to the promises of Igor Dodon to have brought masses to the streets if the PSMR does not gain power in the elections. Moreover, the intention to protest “against the 9-year anti-state, anti-popular regime” at the end of these “agonizing” nine years (one may wonder what were they waiting for?) is original and looks more like a preventive exercise to keep the “masses” in a political tone. It is of fundamental importance for socialists to present their political strategy, and the meeting is the very thing for such a goal, as it forms an idea of the “national character” of the program. The presentation of the PSRM action plan is a goal that Batrîncea and Ceban generally did not keep counsel. The party of Igor Dodon is actively trying to comply with the status of the opposition and cannot present the ideological statements at the party’s “plenary meetings” like Vlad Plahotniuc. That’s why a protest is being expected. It is assumed that the PSRM protest will have a very pronounced geopolitical context. Recently, at the suggestion of the Democrats there were initiated discussions in the Parliament on introducing into the country’s constitution a course towards European Integration. Some associate this to European partners’ dissatisfaction with the recent “pro-Moldovan” reversal of PDM. Then, inside Moldova, many started talking about the betrayal of the European idea by the government of Plahotniuc. In this context, a new democrats’ attempt to enshrine in the basic law of the Republic of Moldova the European integration does not look just like the pronounced public curtsey of Brussels. In fact, this is the only way, in the face of the electorate, to dress a naked Moldavian puppeteer king in the European “dress coat”. Although by now nobody has any illusions that today’s Moldova moved away from Europe even further than nine years ago. European integration is what the socialists of Igor Dodon are always willing to protest. The fight against the European vector is much clearer, more interesting and more understandable to the population sympathetic to socialists than demonstration of practical party achievements in solving many internal problems, including the suppression of the total arbitrariness of the executive branch. As practice shows, the topic of the “European future” is equally well mobilizing the public on both sides of the barricades. It is noteworthy that Igor Dodon on his Facebook page supported the November protest of socialists and strongly criticized the attempt to enshrine the European vector in the constitution. It is logical to assume that with these slogans the socialists will attend the street protests of Chisinau. Indeed, if there were no such convenient grounds, it would be worthwhile to invent it. From a technological point of view, the strategy looks logical and effective to the PSRM: they “raised the people” against European integration, supported the president and the political program. This action should bring tangible benefits to the rating of the PSRM and Igor Dodon particularly, but, ironically, he will not be its only beneficiary. The protest against European integration will once again demonstrate the threat to the European future of the country from the “pro-Russian forces” and will strengthen the teetering positions of the pro-European forces of Moldova. The reaction of the PSRM supporters to the democrats’ initiative to enshrine in the constitution the European vector can be demonstrated to Brussels as a vivid example of the fact that the invisible “hand of Moscow” is always ready to take revenge in Moldova. Namely, the game on geopolitical phobias of Brussels, as you know, allows the pro-European forces of the Republic of Moldova to stay in power for nine years in a row. Every medal has two sides In modern Moldova, protest is more than a tool, a social phenomenon, or even part of the daily routine. The protest has become one of the main donors of a political resource for parties and politicians. Sometimes this objective law takes on bizarre forms, so it is not surprising that the protest against European integration in some incomprehensible way provides additional support to pro-European political forces. I wonder if someone from PSRM takes a guess of it and if the experienced “chess player” Dodon figured this objective law out?