"The referendum promotion campaign was a weak one. They failed to focus on the benefits of the European Union. There was a disorganized discussion about everything and nothing. However, this exercise was overcome and the wanted result was ensured. This is why, after the runoff election, the Government should work out a communication strategy about what the EU and EU accession mean,” Grigore Guzun, associate expert in international relations and security, stated in a public debates staged by IPN.
According to the expert, after the runoff presidential election, the Government should develop a detailed communication strategy, for each section of the population, about what the national project of accession to the EU is - a pro-European president or party - as well as about the EU-funded projects.
Grigore Guzun believes that the people learned the lesson of October 20 and saw how dangerous the propaganda narratives coming from the Kremlin are, and that after the runoff they will not stop. The expert referred to the European Commission's Report, in which the government is recommended to explain to the citizens much more about the EU accession process.
The expert is convinced that the central administration learned the lesson and the law enforcement agencies understood and became aware of how dangerous vote fraud can be not only for the state administration, but also for the people who vote honestly. "The vote of each of us will count on Sunday," said Grigore Guzun.
In the same vein, the expert said that the purpose of the criminal groups was to ensure an image transfer so that society talked not about the country's future in the EU, but about the failures of the government or only about the ruling party.
He noted that, between the two round of the presidential election, the authorities were active, carried out extensive searches and arrested people involved in electoral fraud. However, the authorities should also diversify the audience of target groups.
The most important thing is, in Grigore Guzun’s opinion, to strategically inform about the projects funded by the European Union and to prioritize the social projects covered by the European Commission's plan.
The debate titled "The referendum has passed. Is hybrid war continuing?" was organized by IPN News Agency as part of the project "A fair and informed vote for a European Moldova", funded by the European Union and the German Marshall Fund.
