MP Alexandru Slusari, one of the leaders of the political bloc ACUM, believes that a four-year coalition with the Party of Socialists is an impractical scenario. He says the bloc does not want snap elections, but if it’s forced into such, ACUM will mobilize to face “even very difficult conditions”.
“Our roadmap is very clear and for a second time we even set a date and time for a meeting to discuss this (anti-oligarchic) agenda, but we all saw how the Socialists reacted. Their rhetoric is utterly ultimatum-like, leaving no room for discussions”, Slusari told RFE/RL Moldovan Service.
The ACUM lawmaker blames the Socialists’ informal leader Igor Dodon for being the “principal brake” in the de-oligarchization talks, noting how the president’s attitude has changed. “I attended the first and last meeting between ACUM and the president and, with no reporters in the room, Igor Dodon spoke like a politician from the real opposition. He talked about the rampant fear, and how it could no longer be tolerated and must be rooted out. He talked about the abuse of administrative resources, all the fraud, the vote buying – everything that we saw in abundance during the February 24 elections. He seemed to be eager to endorse a modified voting system. It was a discussion that inspired me to believe things could work out eventually. But a couple of days later we watch him invite Plahotniuc and the Socialists to sit at the negotiating table; beats me what his intentions were. Then he said that was the last meeting and that as president he was above all that political stuff”.
Slusari claims that there is a Socialist faction that is willing to continue the de-oligarchization talks, “but the fear instilled by Dodon, the financial dependence is just too big”.
ACUM is the last entity in Parliament that wants snap elections, especially if they are conducted “under Plahotniuc’s rules”, says Slusari. But the mixed voting system aside, there are other factors – like administrative and financial resources, or the current makeup of the institutions with powers to control the electoral process – which Slusari believes make for an uncompetitive electoral environment. “Our hope is that in September or October, if we are forced into these elections, we can mobilize and reach out to people. We have many things to tell people, we will reach out to the diaspora, do our best to rally our forces”, stated Slusari.