PAS Continues to Rest on Sandu's Shoulders

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Involving the president in the electoral process in which she clearly favours one of the electoral rivals will have unpleasant consequences for the already split Moldovan society, RTA expert Semyon ALBU believes Maia Sandu winning the presidential elections was not only a major success but also a big headache for the Action and Solidarity Party. After their leader assumed the presidential office, the PAS has in fact lost the only bright and prominent representative, the party's face, as one might even say, in the run-up to snap elections. That the politically rather sterile formation lacks notable personalities is evident at least by unequal replacement for Sandu. The  vacant chair is occupied by Igor Grosu who stands out only for his odious actions during the December elections, when he obstructed the voting of the left-bank residents, and barely hidden strong support for unionist ideas. This is obviously not the best background for the party's leader seeking an unconditional victory in the parliamentary elections. The rest of the PAS's electoral list has problems as well: since the beginning of the election campaign, three candidates have already dropped out for various reasons, including those of a compromising nature. Furthermore, the party "tops", like Andrei Spinu, have already been involved in several scandals. The overall team's inexperience is also striking, which Madam President tries to fend off with elegant statements that "inexperienced managers are better than professional thieves." Given the complex pre-election environment, where the PAS may well be left without potential allies, it is vital for this party to win a majority in the new parliament in order to form a single ruling coalition. To this end, it is important to continue to encourage the party's approval rating by all means. But it is quite difficult to succeed without a frontman, with only lapdogs in the party's leadership. Therefore, the head of state has been forced to get involved in the election campaign, and not only by using her image in the campaign materials. As a result, Maia Sandu has gradually become an almost full participant in the electoral race over recent months. Judge for yourself. The President regularly criticizes PAS's main rivals accusing them of all sorts of sins and lashing for the situation with polling stations abroad. Having no scruples about using harsh words, Sandu calls the CEC's corresponding decision a "mockery of hundreds of thousands of citizens" and "an attempt to save the thieves' hide," publicly stating that it was the result of the socialists and the Sor party's involvement. In doing so, the head of state demonstrates, in general, double standards completely ignoring that the Commission closed polling stations in six cities of the Russian Federation at once. Moreover, landmark presidential bills are mushrooming, for example, on confiscating the property of corrupt officials and exempting the returning diaspora from the personal item taxes. Such initiatives are undoubtedly useful, but the timing and circumstances of their emergence are openly pre-electoral. An even more weighty pro argument in the pre-election struggle was a large package of European aid. Moreover, the uniqueness of both the financial program itself and Maia Sandu's role in obtaining it was emphasized. The message is more than clear - the money has been allocated, but to receive it, certain conditions must be met: formally - reforms but in fact - correct ballot. Finally, the head of state has launched a series of "working" but in fact  campaign trips around the country. In recent months only, she has visited Edinet, Floresti and Causeni regions. Moreover, not only the local electorate is a target - the last week witnessed in fact the final attempt to win over the diaspora votes. It has logically started with Italy, where the largest number of our migrants work. Sandu not only gave priority to the problems of the diaspora at all her official meetings, but also met personally with our Italian fellow citizens. Most likely, the near future will prove to have other such visits designed to mobilize ballot participants abroad, including due to various perks. So, what do we have? Maia Sandu grossly violates the equidistance principle in relation to the election participants and almost single-handedly ups the PAS's rating, repeating the same mistakes, for which her predecessor was mercilessly criticized at the time. Thus, unfortunately, we can summarize yet another unsuccessful attempt to get a "president for all Moldovans". Although earlier it seemed that, even in spite of her well-known agenda, Sandu could claim this title through quite well-considered statements and actions. Perhaps, the president's direct involvement in the electoral process will indeed help continue projecting her December 2020 personal success onto Action and Solidarity Party. On the other hand, this is undoubtedly a disappointment for all those who voted for Sandu not just as a pro-Western candidate, but rather as a symbol of change and a politician of a fundamentally different formation who can unite the split Moldovan society. Instead, the society is further divided leaving all those who do not share the PAS's pro-Western aspirations beyond the bold line. And in the environment, when almost half of the population feels politically disadvantaged and unprotected, one can hardly form the basis for real changes in the country, much spoken about by the president.