Campaign without Room for Error. What is behind Candu’s Recent Statement

Last week, Moldovan parliament speaker Andrian Candu said on one of the local TV channels that current president Igor Dodon would not be able to take part in the upcoming parliamentary elections. This is the way how Candu responded to the words of the head of state, who repeatedly hinted that he would run for parliament on the lists of the Socialist Party. The RTA asked its experts Sergei Isaenko and Dorin Mocanu about what is behind the Democrats ’next attack on Dodon. The show for European partners According to Sergei Isaenko, it is no coincidence that the Democrats produce the criticism of the president. The expert considers it another cunning attempt by the Democratic Party to earn political points in front of European partners. “Torpedoing the initiatives of Igor Dodon in the media and “scolding” the president on one or another formal occasion, the Democrats provoke the head of state into a public reaction. They themselves do not take risk particularly, since the president’sability to make a retaliatory political move tends towards zero due to the lack of authority. In order to save face in front of supporters, Dodon has to tighten rhetoric, threatening the DPM (the Democratic Party of Moldova) with all sorts of problems: from mass protests by PSRM (The Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova) to a convincing victory in future elections. An atmosphere of hard confrontation between the “pro-Russian president” and the “pro-European DPM” has been created in public space, and this is exactly what the democrats need,”the expert argues. Sergei Isaenko notes that Washington and Brussels fears of the possible coming of pro-Russian forces represented by the PSRM to power in Moldova are fueled by the ruling party purposefully. Democrats in the political and media space have done everything possible to convince international partners of the identical perception of the current government and the European vector of the country’s development. The tougher Dodon criticizes the pro-European government, the more convincing the label “a threat to Moldova’s European future” hung on the socialists looks. The constant confrontation between the DPM and the PSRM, according to the scenario of the democrats, should emphasize their status as the only advocates of the pro-European course in the face of the Russian threat, the analyst believes. “Wishing to enlist the EU’s support before the upcoming elections, the Democratic Party artificially creates a staged picture of the electoral field. Two key participants in the elections are highlighted, and their antagonism is strongly emphasized. It turns out a kind of political ring, where in one corner are the pro-Russian PSRM led by Dodon, and in the other – allegedly the “pro-European” DPM. Europe is invited to place a bet on its “fighter”. There is a chance that in the face of a serious threat European partners will have to overcome their antipathy towards Plahotnyuc and support the DPM again”, says Sergei Isaenko. Trammeled by statements The permanent author of RTA Dorin Mocanu is convinced that as the elections approach, it is important for the Democratic Party to follow the script and not allow their competitors to disrupt the upcoming staging called “elections”. That is why the ruling group severely suppresses any public political initiatives that can upset the plans. Andrian Candu did that. “It should be understood that harsh rhetoric is one of the few political tools available to Igor Dodon in his current situation. The government in place has prudently done everything to regulate the powers of the president “in manual control” and, if necessary, to remove him from power. Political declarations and appeals are the only thing that the constitutional court has not yet banned the president. But there is also a lot of danger in this, since such gestures are popular with the electorate and receive a noticeably high resonance before the elections. For the DPM, the constant uncontrollable rhetoric of Dodon becomes albeit uncritical, but tangible threat”, emphasizes Mocanu. Candu’s statement can be regarded as an unambiguous signal to the president that the time has come to carefully ponder his statements, and it’s better to stop making them altogether. The current government will do anything to avoid any uncertainty factors before the election. From now on, every pre-election gesture by Igor Dodon is regarded as a threat, the expert believes. “We remember that in 2016 Igor Dodon left the barricades in order to contest the presidency and considered the return of direct elections of the head of state an important victory for the PSRM. For almost two years, the president has been convincing everyone that his policy of opposing the regime exclusively within the legal framework pursues the main goal – to convincingly and transparently bring the socialists to power in parliamentary elections. And there, as they say, “we will begin to live”, the expert notes. To leave the hardscrabble post of the head of state for the sake of elections is a sign of a bad political tone for such a figure as Igor Dodon. The president has always demonstrated confidence in the PSRM’s unconditional victory, and such self-sacrifice “in support” of the party makes us doubt the real prospects of the socialists to take power. “It’s time for the president to clearly state to his voters what he actually wants to achieve in Moldovan politics. Democrats feel this moment well, so Candu struck right now, when the leader of the socialists is at a crossroads. All this marks the move to that stage of the election campaign, where it is not customary to forgive mistakes”, notes Mocanu.