A couple of weeks ago, the speaker of the Moldovan parliament and the democratic candidate Andrian Candu, speaking on Moldovan television, casually advertised his kum (godfather of his child) and concurrently the leader of the PDM and the main oligarch of Moldova for the head of the government of the country.
“The Prime Minister and the Cabinet of Ministers without political support is equal to zero. We have a government appointed by the ruling party, and the power of its leader is great... let’s see if he (Plahotniuc) will take any positions in the future. I think he would be a very good prime minister,” the speaker said.
What was it – a personal opinion of Candu or a major spoiler about the political structure of Moldova after February 24?
New ‘entry’ in the premiership
A few years ago, Vlad Plahotniuc, coming out of the shadow of Moldovan politics, already tried to get the Prime Minister’s seat. First, through tricks and intrigues, he organized a mass migration of deputies to the PDM, and then through an obedient parliamentary majority orchestrated his nomination for the post of head of government. The plan almost worked: only an unexpected obstacle in the person of President Timofti under pressure from Brussels separated the oligarch from the cherished goal.
Since then, the intention of the Coordinator to personally lead the executive branch in the country has not been mentioned in the governing circles. At the end of 2017, the same Candu even deliberately stressed that the leader of the Democratic Party is “comfortable in his position”. However, the current statement of the speaker shows that the idea of Plahotniuc’s premiership, as they say, is very much alive. It’s not surprising: ‘the main Democrat’ is not the man who easily abandons his plans, and he needs the desired office now no less than in 2016.
In fact, the prime minister’s chair would help solve many of Plahotniuc’s problems. First, it is an opportunity to legitimize to some extent his power over the country and, finally, to get rid of the toxic label of the “unofficial master of Moldova”. Secondly, the status of the head of government opens the door to the high European offices, where the disgraced oligarch has not been admitted to for a long time.
The PDM can see that to openly declare now about the ambitions of their leader is reckless. This will at least scare away some voters and foreign partners of Moldova. Therefore, Candu’s statement is either a deliberate test of the public’s reaction, or an accidental “spoiler” by the speaker.
Brussels will not tolerate “Moldovan Maduro”
However, even if Plahotniuc wants the prime minister’s chair, the foreign policy situation does not favor him. This is confirmed by the development of the situation around Venezuela, which, despite its specificities, is very similar to Moldova. For example, the constant migration of the population, the crisis in the economy, the regime-controlled courts and security forces. And the opposition, which is supported by the West. Like Venezuelan politicians, the ruling democrats have little chance of winning the upcoming elections honestly. Therefore, the Moldovan Democrats should be seriously alarmed by the reaction of the European Union that is strongly opposed to the Venezuelan authorities. The European Union, in fact, issued an ultimatum to the Maduro regime, openly interfering in the political crisis in the Bolivarian Republic. This behavior of Brussels that seems atypical at first glance is not an isolated case. In recent years, the EU leadership has been acting more boldly and decisively in protecting its own interests and investments, adopting the role of an independent geopolitical force.
The Moldovan leadership has got first-hand experience. The times when European officials catered to the Moldovan authorities are long gone: now the EU refuses them financial assistance and even communication, not hesitating to support the opposition at the same time. For Moldova, the situation is complicated by the fact that unlike other major players, the EU proceeds not only from geopolitical considerations, but also from democratic values and human rights. And the same rhetoric of “confronting the Russian threat” will not definitely fill the belly. Brussels needs real reforms and the development of democracy – which the PDM could not and is unlikely to be able to do in the future.
The new approaches of the European Union should bring upsetting thoughts to Plahotniuc. Brussels is ready to fight for democracy in a distant Latin American state on the other side of the world. Will it tolerate the usurpation of power in the elections by “Moldovan Maduro” in the country located at the borders of the EU? 
