Political analysts consider the events that happened today in Parliament are “political games”. They noted the bill to transfer the Security and Intelligence Service from the President’s subordination under the Parliament’s management is an attack on the vote of the majority of Moldovan electors as Maia Sandu was voted to enjoy the full powers of the office of President. The bill is also considered a pretext for inducing snap parliamentary elections. This and other issues were developed by the analysts invited to IPN’s public debate “Parliamentary elections in Romania: what Moldovans with Romanian nationality know about them and what they vote?”

Political analyst Nicolae Negru said that what is going on in Parliament at present is a consequence of what happened in 2016, when the SIS was transferred from the President’s subordination to the Parliament’s subordination, and of the decision taken a year ago, when the SIS was transferred from the Parliament’s subordination back under the President’s management. “These are political games. Why did Mister Dodon become angry now? At that time, he said that the transfer of the SIS from the President’s subordination to the Parliament’s subordination is usurpation of the power and a coup. Isn’t it a coup now? On the other hand, did Maia Sandu, when she voted to transfer the SIS from the Parliament’s subordination to the President’s subordination, think that she would become a President or she did a service to Dodon? It is interesting to know. These games most probably involve not only Igor Dodon, who does not have a sufficient number of seats of MP, but also by Ilan Shor and Vladimir Plahotniuc.

According to political analyst Anatol Țăranu, time is needed to realize the scale of the events that are taking place in Parliament and in front of the Parliament Building, but it seems that Chisinau and Moldova on the whole enter the period of protests. The neocolonial period could end in Moldova and this could be followed by the post-colonial period. But time is needed to understand better. What Igor Dodon is doing is an attack on the majority of voters in the Republic of Moldova as Maia Sandu was voted to enjoy the full powers of the President. She hasn’t yet taken up her duties and is already deprived of prerogatives. This is a revolving and defying abuse. It is absolutely evident that the voters are dissatisfied and revolted. We will see if the political class from the opposition, having Maia Sandu as a formal leader, will be able to maintain the élan of protests as the power in Parliament has belonged to those who lost the elections since November 15. Minsk comes to Chisinau gradually, with one difference: in Minsk they protest against a President elected by fraud, while in Chisinau they protest in favor of a President who was elected perfectly legally.

Expert Igor Boțan said the initiators of the bill on the SIS, the Socialists, consciously resort to conjunctural actions. Such bills as those concerning the Audiovisual Council, the budget law, the budgetary-fiscal policy, the issues related to the language and others were put by the Socialists in a basket and they did this on purpose. They are preparing the Party of Socialists for snap parliamentary elections from now. The issues they add now to the agenda will be exploited in eventual snap parliamentary elections, their goal being to cause snap elections. Igor Dodon still has power and needs campaign themes for eventual snap elections. The public sphere is being radicalized and the stake is probably to divide the people into two camps. The Party of Socialists will stand to gain as it will be the only one that will reap the harvest from the segment of Russian-speaking voters, from the Eurasian segment in the next snap elections.

Earlier today, a protest was mounted in front of the Parliament Building against the Socialist MPs’ proposal to transfer the Security and Intelligence Service from the President’s subordination under the Parliament’s management. The protesters sought snap legislative elections and chanted “Down with the Mafia!”, “Leave Parliament”, “Snap Elections”, “Shor-Dodon to Garbage Bin”. Inside Parliament, the MPs of the Party “Dignity and Truth Platform” and of the Party of Action and Solidarity blocked the Parliament’s rostrum during the sitting. Supported by the MPs of the Democratic Party and the Pro Moldova group, they demanded to exclude a number of bills introduced by the Socialists MPs from the agenda, but all in vain.