The Socialist Ion Ceban won the electoral race for the seat of mayor of the capital in a unique political context, when two geopolitical poles constitute a governing coalition. The statement was made for IPN by political analyst Ion Tăbârță, who said that geopolitical rhetoric is now in its most pronounced form.
"Ion Ceban is not a typical left-wing politician who is strictly advocating for pro-Russian geopolitical issues. On the contrary, he tried to pivot to the center, and approached the mayoral race from the perspective of a technocrat", said Ion Tăbârță. The analyst said that Ion Ceban did not issue anti-Romanian messages, which was important for the right-wing electorate.
"Andrei Năstase was not a right-wing unionist candidate. Yes, he spoke about very close relations with Romania, about the Romanian city development model, however, he wasn't defined as a candidate with pro-Romanian messages", said Ion Tăbârță. The analyst concluded that the unique political aspect in which the elections took place and the personal profile of the candidates led to the political left wing to win Chișinău City Hall.
Political analyst Anatol Țăranu pointed out that Andrei Năstase failed due to the right-wing electorate's disappointment, especially of the unionist segment, generated by the alliance between the ACUM bloc and the PSRM. "The second thing to consider is Andrei Năstase's poor performance in the electoral race. He lost the confrontation with Ion Ceban on issues related to managerial capabilities and knowledge of Chișinău's problems", said Anatol Țăranu.
Political scientist Victor Stepaniuc said that the Socialists had a good campaign that contributed to the election of Ion Ceban as mayor. "Ion Ceban said that today the capital needs a mayor, a householder, a balanced and competent man, open to collaboration with all social and political forces, open to all geo-political vectors", said Victor Stepaniuc for IPN.
The political scientist said that Andrei Năstase's electoral tactics were poorly chosen. "Another aspect that influenced the election is the launch of Andrei Năstase in this electoral race. His position of deputy prime minister is very important. When he quit this position after four months, without achieving visible results, some voters presumed that Andrei Năstase is actually trying to trampoline himself into the upcoming presidential race", said Victor Stepaniuc.
According to the political scientist, Ion Ceban's victory was ensured by the centrist and pragmatic segment of the electorate, that wants the city to be clean, taken care of and wants its issues solved.
