Most of the election runners entered the campaign preceding the November 30 parliamentary elections with electoral TV videos, posters, slogans and advertisements. By definition, the publicity is biased, but in the election campaign it represents the type of information that the voters accept most often. That’s why IPN decided to launch a series of analyses entitled “Electoral publicity interpreted honestly” by which to contribute to developing the political culture, analyzing neutrally the subtleties of the electoral advertisements. The election runners are analyzed in accordance with their position in ballots.
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A different party
The People’s Movement “Antimafie” (MPA) is an interesting party that is different from the model of an ordinary party. It is a narrowly specialized party and this limits its electoral potential, but offers yet stability in time. The typical features of the party cannot bring significant changes in its message and symbols in a new election campaign. The MPA has always counted on a very offensive and extremely negative speech, with the prefix ‘anti’ in the party’s name making it look more aggressive. The party identified a problem that it addresses and exploits and this is generally its strategy and niche. Until there are rich people involved in politics, the MPA will have the necessary ‘fuel’. The problem is topical for Moldova and became more topical over the last few years, following the incident in the natural reserve “Padurea Domneasca”.
However, even if the party’s messages, which are usually accusations, are credible and sonorous, the MPA cannot extract electoral dividends from the impact of its messages. It is indeed difficult to convert an aggressive campaign against somebody into something positive and into votes in favor. The MPA has therefore an excuse for not being a party that really wants to come to power and thus does need to obtain as many seats as possible. For the MPA, the seats of MP are rather a means by which they can more efficiently struggle against the mafia.
The party’s emblem reflects very well the party’s character: the wording “NO! to Mafia”, written with bold characters with a cut red circle in the background whose significance is clear – “stop!”, “banned”. However, the emblem lacks something as it does not contribute to building the party’s positive identity. The slogan “No obligation outside the public interest!” is also slightly unusual. The lack of a verb is regrettable, but the slogan anyway has more vigor than that of the People’s Force Party, for example. The message assures the people that the members of the MPA are fully dedicated to the mission they undertook. Unfortunately, it lacks sonority and something that would be easily imprinted on the voters’ mind.
The leader’s image is an important element. Sergiu Mocanu is an active and energetic leader, known in society. But he does not have the ability to attract the sympathy and votes of the people. The fact that he was adviser to former President Vladimir Voronin continues to fuel speculations that the MPA is a project of the Communist Party and diminishes its credibility. A part of the accusations, announcements and ‘forecasts’ of Sergiu Mocanu came true in the past, but this fact didn’t increase his credibility. On the contrary, for some it was a proof that Sergiu Mocanu is the puppet of someone from the mafia, who furnishes him with information from inside. The MPA would need a younger leader who will be as energetic and active as Mocanu or even more temperate and will have a less controversial past, which would not undermine the party’s message.
Another austere video
The video clip of the MPA, as in the case of other election runners, reveals a lack of funds and a imbalance between the parties that have a budget of 10 million lei and those with a budget of only 1-2 million lei. It is similar to the first video of the Liberal Reformism Party (PLR), but is better. It contains images of the event where “Antimafie” officially started its election campaign. It shows that the hall is full and this element is designed to increase the people’s confidence: the supporters and members of the MPA are many in number so that they have chances to enter Parliament. Probably the biggest problem of the small parties is that a part of their supporters do not vote for them because they don’t think that these parties will pass the election threshold. Afterward, Sergiu Mocanu gives a speech. The camera shows him from an unusual angle, but the fact that he is in movement is yet preferable to the inertia of the first video of the PLR. Ironically, in the middle of the video the angle is awkwardly switched and the image is like in the PLR’s video.
The fragment of speech of the MPA leader is a recording, but the sound is better than in the case of the PLR’s video and of the video of the People’s Force Party, where the non-synchronization between image and sound is irritating. “There is now no other battlefield than that between the mafia and anti-mafia,” says Sergiu Mocanu. The message is not bad, but could have been better. For example, Mocanu could have at least not read it from paper. The presented battlefield is interesting, dramatic and mobilizing, but cannot replace the conflict line existing in society: East-West or the Customs Union - the European Union. It will yet remain a secondary one as there are other election runners that promote the fight against corruption and the oligarchs in their campaigns.
“My friends, we did as much as we could. To achieve more, we need the parliamentary rostrum that you can give to us,” says Mocanu in continuation. The address form ‘my friends’ is evidently designed to establish a connection with the public and to create solidarity. “We did as much as we could” – what namely? It’s not clear. The final request shows that the parliamentary rostrum for the MPA is indeed only an instrument for further fighting the mafia, rather than for governing. “You can give to use” underlines a necessity: it is the only solution. On the other hand, it is a transparent attempt to flatter the voters and to make them feel important and powerful.
The young people from posters
The MPA’s posters include an important element that should have been promoted in the video too (or in another video): the team from behind Sergiu Mocanu, which consists of young men and women. The MPA can employ the young people especially because they probably studied aboard and are new, not contaminated by politics and corruption and with integrity, unlike the image of Sergiu Mocanu.
Note: This analysis refers strictly to the publicity of the election runners and does not aim to assess their quality. The bad products can have good publicity and vice versa, as the good products can have good publicity. Earlier, IPN made an analysis of the electoral publicity of the Democratic Party, which was published on November 6, of the Christian Democratic People’s Party, which was published on November 7, of the Liberal Democratic Party, which was published on November 10, of the Liberal Reformist Party, which was published on November 11, and of the People’s Force Party, published on November 12.
Eugen Muravschi, IPN
