Sergey Cheban: Moldovan Authorities Only Imitate Reprisals Against Plahotniuc

The RTA regular expert states that the Moldovan authorities picture symbolic victories over Plahotniuc’s decisions in order to preserve the image of the deoligarchic coalition Sergey Cheban, RTA: One of the leaders of the government-controlling ACUM bloc Andrei Nastase two weeks before the local elections triumphantly regained the throne of the capital’s mayor. In 2018, Nastase defeated his new-old rival, socialist Ceban and was considered the legally elected mayor. Just until the oligarch Vlad Plahotniuc decided to deal rudely with the objectionable politician and through the controlled court denied his victory. Formally, then Chisinau lost its mayor, as there was no time for a new election campaign. In fact, each and every, every citizen of Moldova and every European politician knew that Nastase lost the mayor’s seat because of the blatant, vulgar and self-confident abuse of power by Vlad Plahotniuc. Experts believe that such a cynical mockery of democracy, which the former leader of the PDM made last summer to punish Nastase, was almost the last straw and that exhausted all patience of Brussels and Washington. Plahotniuc then demonstrated impudence, unhealthy self-confidence and a sense of impunity. The European Union and even the United States do not forgive such things, because friendship with absolute tyrants damages the reputation and, ultimately, is too expensive. Plahotniuc was presented with a black spot immediately after the incident with the mayoral elections in 2018. And revenge for that hard slap was probably a matter of honor for Nastase: the DA leader left the office of Minister of Internal Affairs and joined the fight for the mayor’s seat. Despite that the leadership of the security agency actually allowed him to take on the task of deoligarchization and punishment of political criminals from Plahotniuc’s team. It turns out that in 2019, the judicial system ‘played’ back and restored historical justice, recognizing that the leader of the DA was denied victory illegally. If it had been just Nastase’s ego, that would have been enough. However, the problem actually is deeper than the personal ambitions of the pro-European politician. You need to understand a few things. First: Nastase is the current candidate for mayor. His recognition as the de facto authorized and already legitimate mayor of the Moldovan capital is not just a court decision, but a real favoring of Nastase in the current election race. Until now, he and the socialist Ceban were just rivals from the past and roughly equivalent candidates, and now Nastase is a man who has already defeated Ceban once and has already been mayor. Such things seem symbolic, but influence on the views of the electorate: many will believe that the ally of Maia Sandu now simply has to get a second chance at the ‘stolen’ from him seat of the mayor. Someone will think that legitimate management of the capital just a few days before the election will be another humiliation of Nastase, which he does not deserve. Someone will think that everything is decided at the top and will not go to vote for the socialist Ceban, because it is useless. Second: the ACUM bloc and the Party of Socialists just these days have toughened mutual reproaches. Coalition members are approaching local elections, and their contradictions are growing. It even comes to public reproaches, both political camps are trying to beat each other and get additional political points. Assigning the title of mayor to Nastase fits perfectly into this strategy. In itself, this event looks like an achievement of the ACUM bloc and adds political points to pro-Europeans. Moreover, it is a direct hint to Igor Dodon and the socialists that ‘the past is not forgotten’. In 2018, many noted that the cancellation of the results of the capital’s elections played into the hands of the PSRM candidate, who lost then. Some even saw this as an unspoken agreement between the socialists and democrats, although this can be attributed to the general political heat in Moldova in the last year. Finally, the third: the Moldovan authorities have not achieved anything significant in the fight against the legacy of Plahotniuc. Real deoligarchization is not yet visible, judicial decisions on the ex-leader of the democrats are born slowly, law enforcement systems of foreign countries are in no hurry to throw the fugitive oligarch into the dungeons, and the Moldovan justice cannot reach him. If there is no real struggle, it can be pictured – this is exactly what the current government of Moldova did. Nastase’s notorious and sensational deprivation of victory in 2018 became a symbol of Plahotniuc’s undivided tyranny. People in Chisinau judged that its abolition would be an important symbolic victory over Plahotniuc’s political group, which had sunk into oblivion. Although the Moldovan authorities only imitate reprisals against the once autocratic oligarch, it is intended to herald a bright future, when all those responsible for the plight of the country will be punished. In the end, it is better than nothing, but sooner or later will cease to suit the Moldovan society, waiting for real, not symbolic changes in the country.