Expert: Making Haste the West Takes Confused Approaches as to Power Reformatting in Moldova

The aggravation of the opposition forces’ struggle with the ruling PSRM-PDM alliance led to the fact that it was possible, just yesterday, breaking the previous parliamentary majority and obvious problems as to the formation of an alternative arose. Vladimir ROTAR, RTA: Yesterday, the opposition’s struggle took the symbolic line with the Social Democratic coalition. After the next deputy has fled from the Democratic Party faction to the Pro Moldova group, the ruling PSRM-PDM alliance has officially lost its majority in the Moldovan parliament. It is no secret that the United States plays one of the main roles in the current internal political processes in the country. Washington uses the trump card represented by the former Moldova’s owner, Vlad Plahotniuc who managed to break up the parliamentary faction of the Democrats over the past months and afterwards, helped by his relative MP Andrian Candu organized stable traffic for Democratic Party’s legislators. Against the backdrop of active US actions, the European Union, obviously lost its pace and initiative, plunging into internal affairs and apparently not updating the training manual for its forces in Moldova for a long time. This especially showed the pro-European parties’ behavior, which were on the sidelines of events taking place in the country with the onset of the pandemic. Along with, conflicts between PAS and DA continued and that led to long interruptions in contacts between parties and their leaders. Donald Tusk, the unofficial curator of the pro-Europeans from the EU, had to put up partners in the ACUM bloc in the fire mode but even he was not able to resolve all differences. The only thing EU raeched during this period is tactical alliance of PAS and DA with the Candu-Shor group preventing  for a vote of no confidence in the Chicu government, which practically took shape in May. At the same time, Brussels intentionally put the Republic of Moldova’s current leadership in the wheel and set forward additional requirements for the government as a condition for receiving external assistance. Yesterday, literally a few hours after parliament majority disappearance, the same Donald Tusk called for early parliamentary elections, naming the current parliament “dysfunctional”. Thus, a political signal the further plan of action was given to the pro-European forces. Through the mouth of his official, Brussels pushes the ward of the opposition to more decisive action. Probably, the “development partners” are very impatient to wait for the moment when the current coalition government will be removed from the power pedestal and replaced by a new, more reliable team, which professes the European vector. Such a rush is due to many reasons and not the least one is thirst for revenge. It is likely that in Brussels still keeps fresh the recollections of last year November 12 dramatic events when Maia Sandu’s complementary government ceased to exist, and the ACUM bloc’s coalition with the socialists were gone. However, the whole situation’s originality lies in the fact that yesterday Brussels 's hasty joyful exclamation got suddenly cooled today; that was a surprisingly calm equal politically signal article written by US Ambassador to Moldova Derek Hogan. It is not difficult to get Washington’s general and main message from it - friends, keep calm, everything goes as planned, do not make sudden moves. Unlike the Europeans, the American side is quite satisfied with Ion Chicu’s current emasculated and politically doomed lame government. What Washington is truly afraid of happening is the planned presidential election postponing, which, according to the ambassador, should be absolutely transparent and free from administration of the ruling authorities’ pressure. Finally, another component that creates dissonance in this international concert of a better future for Moldova well-wishers is the opposition leaders’ ambitions themselves. Both PAS and DA at this stage have their own interests, which by no means always coincide with the foreign partners’ goals. They try to play their own game despite all the instructions coming down from above. For example, DA is well aware that if early elections happen, it risks losing up to half of its current mandates. The party seriously seized on the idea to form a government led by Andrei Nastase that the Candu-Shor group was allegedly ready to support “without any conditions”. Therefore, now the platform is actively lobbying for the demolition of the Chicu government and also calls for colleagues from PAS to do the same. In turn, Maia Sandu does not share this allies’ approach. She has already stated she will not support a potential vote of no confidence and will not cooperate with defectors from Pro Moldova and members of the Shor faction. According to her, the necessary mathematics still does not work out and her colleagues from DA have no specifics in the new cabinet’s composition and functionality. Maia Sandu acts cautiously, realizing how dangerous it is to let laying on opposition’s fragile shoulders (in all senses) the toxic Chicu’s government “legacy” represented by a large burden of problems against the backdrop of the intensifying socio-economic crisis, exacerbated by a new round of the epidemic. On the other hand, such a wait-and-see approach has already led to a new round of accusations from former ACUM partners in the almost support of Igor Dodon and the socialists, who are likely to further deepen the split between the two pro-European forces. The result is disappointing: the undisguised interference of external actors in the republic’s domestic political processes and their mutually exclusive broadcast can lead to a series of emotional erroneous actions on the part of the "disconnected" opposition. The ruling majority is no longer there, there is no new coalition yet and the forces that should form it, despite the efforts of foreign partners, are still stubbornly unwilling to form the final winning puzzle. In these conditions, early parliamentary elections can indeed be a way out. Another thing is that they are still far away: may be in November and only if the same PAS supports Dodon’s idea of holding them on the day of presidential election. So, you still have to live up to the cherished vote - after all, anything can happen in a country plagued by pandemic and living in the parliamentary majority absence and minority government (or even without it) conditions.