The information level of voters depends on their wish to inform themselves. The times when a hero is awaited to save the nation remained far in history, but too many voters cannot get yet rid of the wish to be treated paternally, considers politologist Angela Kolatski. According to her, for the sake of the children’s future, the voters must at least make effort to inform themselves from a number of sources and to take part in meetings with the aspirants for the office of President.
Contacted by IPN, Angela Kolatski said the voters must question the information they receive and must discuss it with friends and draw conclusions. In Moldova, there is no consolidated democracy and the political culture of voters is parochially-dependent. “Society advances when a participative political culture prevails, which is a culture where civil society develops and the citizen with active civic position is its nucleus. This citizen who must take part and struggle to promote his/her interests and the interests of community must be perseverant and must not accept rapid solutions and wait for someone to safeguard their interests,” stated the politologist.
According to her, the geopolitical cleavage is still topical and will be perpetuated during many electoral cycles yet. This polarization of society will be used by the current candidates for President as well.
Angela Kolatski considers that in a country with a rather large segment of voters who live below the poverty line electoral corruption is spread. “There is one more important moment. The ordinary voters are vulnerable, but those who hold posts are even more vulnerable, while some of these are even blackmailable,” she stated.
The politologist noted that the elderly people in Moldova are more active than the other sections and this is also due to the habit formed in the Soviet period. “The young people, regretfully, are less active and they take part in elections less for a number of reasons, including because they are dispersed, do not trust the politicians and politics, are not integrated much into political processes, and are very disappointed following the April 7, 2009 events. These also have the feeling that they were used rather cynically by the current government in order to come to power and consider there is inequity. They also feel a shortage of real policies devoted to youth problems and have a maximalist attitude to social inequity,” stated Angela Kolatski.
She also said that Moldovan intellectuality, owing to the government’s hypocrisy, gives signs of isolation and absenteeism. This can have a negative effect on the outcome of the elections and not only of the presidential elections. At the same time, the intellectuality is much more aware of the ‘political games’ in their negative meaning and does not want to offer legitimacy to the unworthy power by their participation. The attitude of the educated people to the method of restoring the people’s right to choose the Head of State is considered by many as a delay-action bomb.
Angela Kolatski said the recent developments show the rules in the upcoming presidential elections will be yet broken and the power already uses massively the administrative resources. “I’m yet idealistic and optimistic and want to believe that the election results will be unpredictable, as it should be in a democratic state,” she concluded.
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The article form part of the IPN series “Profile of the voter: who votes the President”.
