“However, we cannot exclude the constitution of an Euroskeptical political pole with the involvement of the party of Ilan Șor and his wedding party guests Vladimir Voronin and Igor Dodon. But this structure cannot represent an alternative to the European integration and will rather represent a gathering of political weathervanes that lack any consistency and of persons accused of the billion theft. Will there be many willing to join in? We will see!   ”
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Opposition’s reactions to obtaining of EU candidate status by the Republic of Moldova

The Communist-Socialist opposition had to react to the confirmation by the European Council of the European perspective of the Republic of Moldova and offering of the EU candidate status to it. The event saddened the Communist-Socialists so much that these revealed their own perspectives for the future of the Republic of Moldova.

In the mentioned context, the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM) issued a press release in which it:

• expressed its regret because the Republic of Moldova became hostage of contextual and geopolitical decisions that were adopted without consulting all the citizens;
• condemned the general euphoria fueled by the leaders of the current government, who treat this event as historic, as a big accomplishment of the government and as a great merit of the citizens;
• called for vigilance over this accession decision created in the propaganda labs of the current government;
•  ascertained that the citizens, on June 23, 2022, became hostage to long-term geopolitical games in which they were  involved without being asked in a referendum etc.

In conclusion, PSRM warned that only the wish expressed by the people would have had legitimacy for the future generations, not yet a political and symbolical decision, for an electoral cycle of four years. So, the citizens should be grateful to PSRM for the sincerity with which it warned them that if they come to power, they could renounce the EU candidate status of the Republic of Moldova.

The Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM), the PSRM’s ally in the Bloc of Communists and Socialists (BCS), was much more trenchant in its negative reaction to the obtaining of the EU candidate status, noting that this status offers to Moldova absolutely no preference and perspective of accession to the European Union.  Moreover, according to the leader of PCRM, Vladimir Voronin, the EU candidate status granted to the Republic of Moldova deprives the country of geopolitical freedom, making the possibility of cooperation with the strategic partner – the Russian Federation – impossible. So, both PSRM and PCRM deplored the historic event of June 23, 2022, avoiding trenchantly mentioning that this is the result of the war waged by the strategic partner - Russia - against the people of Ukraine.

Attempt to create Euroskeptical political pole

Not only the Communist-Socialist allies expressed their negative attitude to the obtaining by the Republic of Moldova of the EU candidate status. One of the main beneficiaries and executors of the billion theft Ilan Șor, who leads a party that bears his name, also said that: “Neither the West nor the East needs us (Republic of Moldova). We are a bargaining cheap in the games of great powers”. This way, there was reanimated the main thesis concerning the fourth development path the Republic of Moldova, launched by the main beneficiary of the billion theft – Vlad Plahotniuc. This preference for the geopolitical neutrality is somehow understood. The integration into the EU can prevent billion thieves from continuing their prodigious activity. Probably, namely for these reasons, Ilan Șor called on the citizens and all the political powers: “let’s unite, sit at the negotiating table, forget all the misunderstandings and angers and remove this incompetent government”.

Ilan Șor’s call powerfully resonates with the call of the leader of PSRM, Igor Dodon, who in the mentioned context stated almost the same thing: “The opposition has nothing to share. The current situation in Moldova under Maia Sandu is the worst ever and will never be witnessed again. We should leave aside personal grudges, some of the ideological divergences. This government can be removed if we are all united”. We should not be surprised at the fact that the statements of Ilan Șor and Igor Dodon give the sensation of deja vu. It was noted not only once that on December 6, 2021, Șor Party announced the creation of the National Salvation Front (FSN) and PSRM tried to attribute this initiative to itself when Igor Dodon on December 18, 2022 launched the call to found a Common National Front (FUN). The problem is no one wanted to join either FSN or FUN. That’s why the obtaining of the EU candidate status makes the two leaders desperately reiterate their calls. 

For the sake of truth, we should admit that the call made by Șor Party and PSRM had a great resounding effect. It goes to the launch, on December 30, 2021, of the initiative of the mayor general of the municipality of Chisinau Ion Ceban, concerning the creation of the National Alternative Movement (MAN). Ion Ceban’s initiative appeared in only several weeks of the launch of the initiatives of Șor Party and PSRM and we can intuit that it was actually a fast alternative reaction to those concerning the creation of FSN and FUN: “I know that everyone expects an alternative that would unite everyone, would build a future, would take care of the people, first of all, and of their interests – an alternative of deeds not of empty words and forgotten promises, of cheap shows. I care about what is going on. I today launch the National Alternative Movement on my own initiative and the team stands by me”.

So, we convince ourselves that the opposition politicians prefer to create alternative movements than to discredit themselves by supporting the calls of Ilan Șor or Igor Dodon. This conclusion is reached when we see the reaction of the capital city’s mayor to the obtaining of the EU candidate status by the Republic of Moldova: “I congratulate the Republic of Moldova, the citizens, the authorities on the obtaining of the EU candidate status. It’s definite that from now on, there will be no excuses for the delay in reforms or for the delay in their implementation – structural reforms that the Republic of Moldova needs...”

This way, the creation in the Republic of Moldova of a Euroskeptical political pole is problematic as the Communist-Socialist leaders are not and cannot be credible. Firstly, in time Igor Dodon and Vladimir Voronin behaved on the political arena as weathervanes that change their attitude depending on conjuncture. For example, the leader of PCRM, when he was President of the Republic of Moldova, pleaded for the recognition by the EU of a clear European perspective for the Republic of Moldova. This thing was discussed in the meeting of the National Commission for European Integration that Voronin himself constituted by presidential decree. As President, Vladimir Voronin on June 25, 2008 insisted on the debating of the European integration issue this way:

• offering to the Republic of Moldova of the possibility of signing a Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with the EU;
• gradual liberalization of the visa regime for the Moldovan citizens who travel in the Schengen Area of the EU;
• recognition of the Republic of Moldova’s perspective of obtaining the EU membership, without setting a concrete date.

This way, we see that the mayor of the capital city Ion Ceban, who was a member of PCRM and also of PSRM, had to distance himself from his former mates – political weathervanes and to show minimum decency, behaving consistently at least with regard to the European perspective of the Republic of Moldova even if he is in irreconcilable opposition to the current government.

Conclusions

Now that our country ultimately obtained what PCRM and its leader Vladimir Voronin wanted – the perspective of the EU membership without a fixed date – we see that the ex-President is preoccupied with something else – geopolitical alternative for our country and cooperation with Russia, which militarily attacked Ukraine. The same refers to the current leaders of PSRM – Igor Dodon and Zinaida Grechanyi - who formed part of the composition of the same National Commission for European Integration within which they agreed to ask the EU to grant a clear European perspective to the Republic of Moldova. A confirmation of this was the fact that after the parliamentary elections of April 5, 2009, the current leaders of PSRM designed the government program of the Republic of Moldova for 2009-2013 in which it was said (see page 5) that: The country’s integration into the European Union is the incontestable desideratum of most of our compatriots, this representing the irreversible and normal priority of the domestic and foreign  policy of the Government of the Republic of Moldova. The Government’s major objective is to continue transposing the principles of the community acquis that are defined in multiple normative documents of our state”.

It should be noted that when the legislative body voted the mentioned program, Vladimir Voronin was Speaker of Parliament, while Igor Dodon and Zinaida Grechanyi, besides holding the posts of Prime Minister and, respectively, Deputy Prime Minister, served also as MPs. So, all the current leaders of PCRM and PSRM voted for the irreversible priority of most of the citizens – the European integration, without insisting on the organization of a referendum on the given issue. In fact, the objections about the holding of a referendum are pure speculations. No country held a referendum on the obtaining of the EU candidate status and only a part of the countries that joined the EU staged referendums only after the accession negotiations were completed, right before the accession itself.

However, we cannot exclude the constitution of a Euroskeptical political pole with the involvement of the party of Ilan Șor and his wedding party guests Vladimir Voronin and Igor Dodon. But this structure cannot represent an alternative to the European integration and will rather represent a gathering of political weathervanes that lack any consistency and of persons accused of the billion theft. Will there be many willing to join in? We will see!