Three Years of PAS Rule – A Period of Trials, Chaos and Lost Hopes

Victor ENI PAS has not fulfilled a single meaningful promise from its election programme, and the promised “good times” remained a campaign chant The 11th of July marked three years since the Party of Action and Solidarity became the ruling party in snap elections, winning 63 of the 101 seats in parliament. Mass support for a new political force, for which voters from virtually across the political spectrum cast their ballots, was not only a great vote of confidence, but also a reflection of the high expectations of citizens to the elected administrators. But, to all appearances, these hopes were not destined to come true. People who voted for PAS received in return only disappointment and loss of faith in the country’s future. Probably no one would have remembered the next anniversary of PAS’ ascension to the Moldovan political Olympus, but the ruling party itself does not forget such “important” dates. As if to test the patience of citizens, it presented a report on its “successes” over three years at the helm. Of course, everything is smooth in the summary: it mentions the start of negotiations on accession to the European Union, the increase in salaries for some categories of state employees, infrastructure projects, and diversification of sources of natural gas supplies, including the rejection of Russian gas. Such “breathtaking” results are pleasing, unless you look outside the party office, where the reality is much harsher and the state of affairs, to put it mildly, deplorable. To list all the problems will take a long time: total failure of reforms, crisis of justice and chaos in the justice system, absolute non-functionality of state institutions, mass exodus of population, brutal censorship of mass media and cornered opposition. It seems that the state is no longer fighting corruption and smuggling, which have permeated the system and dominate it. For the third year in a row, the economy is losing momentum and weakening, which has not only prevented new investment, but also has caused the existing investors to flee, shutting down multi-year projects. In fact, PAS has not fulfilled a single meaningful promise from its election programme, and everything that has been achieved is solely due to the capabilities and support of external donors. The promised “good times” remained an electoral chant. In the opinion of most non-PAS experts and analysts, since 2021, Moldova has had the most incompetent government in the thirty-year history of the state. Like a toddler, the regime began to fall, barely taking the first steps, while holding full power in its hands. With lofty goals in mind, young rookie politicians began to provoke one crisis after another in energy, the economy, justice, education, relations with external partners and difficult regions within the country. Ultimately, by mid-2024, the state looks as fragmented and disjointed as possible, the people are deprived of any perspective, and the republic looks more like a geographical perimeter where it is harder and harder to make ends meet. According to the latest opinion polls, citizens do not see the efforts of the authorities to improve the socio-economic situation. 57% of respondents are dissatisfied with their standard of living, and only 32% are generally or very satisfied. At the same time, about a third of respondents believe that life in Moldova has become more difficult in comparison with the last year, and almost half of them are convinced that the situation has only worsened since the PAS and Maia Sandu came to power. The debate about whether things have gotten worse, better, or stayed the same can be considered by the experts. However, the clearest indicator that things are very bad is the 150 to 200 thousand of our citizens who left the country during the three years of the PAS mandate. This is the largest decline in Moldova’s modern history. Most of those who left are young, able-bodied people, whose departure entails other disastrous trends, forcing local authorities to take difficult decisions, such as closing schools and kindergartens. Approaching the end of its first term, PAS is trying to replace the illusion of “good times” with the illusion of “Moldova’s European integration”. But, judging by the polls, people are well aware of this cunning combination, realizing that they have been and continue to be duped and manipulated through the veiled political slogans. The majority of voters are more or less aware of geopolitical tendencies, and Georgia’s experience once again confirms that the current “love” of the EU and the West is just a tactical move to keep the current ruling regime in power. And if it is ousted, the care of Brussels and Washington will sharply reduce. The powerful external support for the Party of Action and Solidarity is explained by the fact that, by and large, its main objective was to use the multifaceted aid of the West to destroy the model of Moldovan statehood that had been established over three decades and reorient it towards integration into the Western club of countries. To some extent, this scenario was fulfilled, especially in view of the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war. As we have written earlier, Antony Blinken’s visits, the series of exercises with the American military this year, and the joint statements of the Western chancelleries clearly demonstrate that these capitals have begun to consider our country as a subject that is fully within the sphere of Western military and political influence. Be that as it may, change is all around us, and the time of PAS is gradually passing. By and large, even from the start in 2021, a fatal symbol for Maia Sandu’s regime was the detention and suspension of the then Prosecutor General Alexandr Stoianoglo. As a result, he not only rehabilitated himself, but also claims to be one of Sandu’s main “grave-diggers” in the presidential election. A theoretical victory of Stoianoglo would be a clear motion of no confidence in the ruling party and a signal that people are not ready to tolerate further the current model of governance in Moldova. Regardless of how the presidential race ends, there is no doubt that PAS will never again achieve the same result as in 2021. It will be more beneficial for our country if the current political and organizational structure of power becomes history as soon as possible. Moldova needs a reset and changes that will first allow at least to slow down the destructive tendencies. The only question is whether our citizens still believe in something, whether they still think that the state can produce qualified and competent politicians, or that it is still possible to turn things around.