Who Is Mr. Stoianoglo?

Sergiu CEBAN

The newly minted presidential candidate gave a programme interview, which allows to form a more or less clear picture of his political views

Just a few weeks ago it seemed that the presidential election would slowly follow the set scenario until October. But, as we expected, surprises are popping up at the finish line that will definitely spice up the election race. The president’s entourage is the most dissatisfied about this, as the situation is clearly off the track and may get out of control. There are enough signs of confusion, including the decision to save Maia Sandu from trouble by refusing to participate in public debates. Apparently, the country’s leader is extremely vulnerable politically and psycho-emotionally, and any open sparring could end in a drop in her ratings. Nevertheless, so far opinion polls show Sandu’s chances of re-election for a second term are high. According to a recent survey published by the International Republican Institute (IRI), 34% of citizens are ready to vote for the current head of state, while only 18% are ready to vote for Igor Dodon, the leader of the Socialist Party. However, given the recent events, it is difficult to say how relevant these data are, as Alexandr Stoianoglo was not included in the poll. So far, even Igor Dodon looks fresher and more promising in comparison with Maia Sandu. Moscow has apparently found strong arguments to persuade the main socialist to focus on the future. I assume that his Russian partners promised him to compensate for the abandonment of his presidential ambitions with more serious, including political, assistance in the upcoming parliamentary campaign. The arrival of Alexandr Stoianoglo on the electoral field, of course, has caused a great resonance. But initially, when considering this candidacy, it was difficult to understand what exactly its political image would be. Meanwhile, the authorities and their “experts” tried to fill the gaps in understanding of who Mr. Stoianoglo is as a politician. The fact that he was attacked by the most experienced spokespersons confirms that Sandu’s electoral headquarters seriously considers the electoral potential of the former Prosecutor General. The political technologists supporting his campaign must have relied on a sharp reaction of the authorities, but for some reason they forgot to present their candidate. Therefore, on Monday, Stoianoglo’s programme interview was hastily broadcast. In fact, it allows to form a more or less clear picture of his political views, which will serve as the basis of his election programme. First of all, Alexandr Stoianoglo disassociated himself from political ties with PSRM, explaining his support by one of the largest political formations for organizational and technical reasons. The point is that such a nomination would at least not require the collection of signatures, while alternative forms of official registration as a candidate would make it much easier to bureaucratize the process and neutralize Stoianoglo at the stage of preparing documentation. Thus, despite his close contact with the socialists, he is ready to cooperate equally with all political forces in Moldova in order to develop a common strategy of action. One of the main goals of the former prosecutor general is the restoration of the rule of law and the desire to become a real guarantor of the Constitution and the respect for the rights of all citizens of the country. It is a logical choice, as this is the sore spot of Maia Sandu, who failed to reform justice and actually lost the status of defender of the basic law, which was violated more than once during her term. Amid Sandu’s criticism of certain groups of citizens, which seriously splits Moldovan society from within, it is rather expected that Stoianoglo wants to represent himself as a “president for everybody”, regardless of political, national, linguistic and other preferences of citizens. The motives are quite clear - to get as many votes as possible, while Sandu relies only on the part of the population that favors European integration. By the way, the former prosecutor has a very peculiar position on joining the EU. For some reason, he sees integration as “an opportunity to strengthen the country’s independence”, although even a political science freshman knows that full-fledged membership in the EU means transferring part of the sovereign competences to Brussels. In addition, although the president does not have substantial powers to determine the general parameters of negotiations with the EU, Stoianoglo plans to frame the process by saying that Moldova will enter the Union only as a neutral country with the Transnistrian issue settled, without compromising the values and traditional heritage of the Moldovan people. At the same time, he believes it is necessary to restore relations with Russia in order to obtain energy resources and access to markets for the republic’s agro-industrial complex. In other words, if Stoianoglo wins, he is determined to pursue a balanced and multidirectional foreign policy with an emphasis on strengthening independence and sovereignty, which, judging by the example of Georgia, would be highly discouraged in Western capitals. It is logical that Stoianoglo’s position on the situation between Russia and Ukraine is sharply negative, while he considers Crimea and Donbas to be constitutional territory of Ukraine in accordance with international law. An implicit analogy is drawn with the experience of Moldova, which 32 years ago signed a ceasefire agreement and saved lives, and the conflict has been resolved peacefully ever since. However, the former prosecutor is dissatisfied with the current reintegration policy and proposes to form a package of constructive initiatives for the left bank residents instead of a “law on separatism”. Alexandr Stoianoglo was careful to speak out on other acute and divisive issues. Historical memory, in his opinion, requires a fair and broad view, rather than a selective approach in favor of one or another ideological viewpoint. He considers Romanian or Moldovan to be the same language, although they may be called differently. The candidate proposes to avoid disputes about ethno-national belonging and identity, thus confirming that this is a complex issue for modern Moldova, which requires a politically careful attitude and time. Finally, neutrality, which Stoianoglo considers as a cornerstone. This principle, in his opinion, was a direct consequence of the tragic events of 1992. It should be assumed that this topic will be one of the central themes in the campaign of the former Prosecutor General, and he will actively contrast it with the military rhetoric of Maia Sandu, the militarization of the internal agenda and smooth efforts to instill in people the importance of integration with NATO. The overall picture is now more or less clear, and the style of an experienced speechwriter is also obvious. Now it will be important to understand to what extent Stoianoglo is ready to confidently articulate and argue his points in open debates, without sufficient political experience. This will allow us to form a holistic picture of him as a presidential candidate, and to assess his real chances of becoming a strong competitor to Maia Sandu.