“If, for being able to exemplarily fulfill the duties of President, he needs the Constitution to be amended, he should better not run as he anyway will not succeed. It’s highly improbable that we will be lucky to see Mister Dodon rather as an MP, as the head of the Socialist parliamentary group, but chances anyway exist”
---
Constitutional powers and elected Presidents’ dissatisfaction
Under the constitutional provisions, the President of the Republic of Moldova is the head of state, meaning that he is at the top of the hierarchy of political institutions. In a parliamentary republic like Moldova, the President’s powers are rather formal. Both in the area of foreign policy and in the security sector, the President actually validates the decisions adopted by the Government or Parliament. The other President’s duties stipulated in the supreme law are rather technical and honorific in character. Why do we then have so much fuss around the presidential elections? Because the President’s powers are now seen temporary and are to be amended.
In fact, in a parliamentary republic, a skillful President is first of all a moral authority that mediates between the state institutions and has all the rostrums within reach to address directly the people, to tell them about the state of the nation. Evidently, if he has views and ideas that he can share with the sovereign people, he gets arguments to press the political class to govern in the public interest. When we think about the President of a parliamentary republic who would serve as an example, we remember Vaclav Havel. In the Republic of Moldova, there are enough personalities who would do us an honor if they win the supreme post, but they are dedicated to their creation and work fields.
During almost 30 years of state independence, the Moldovan citizens elected directly three Presidents – Mircea Snegur, Petru Lucinschi and Igor Dodon. They all complained that they lack the necessary powers to do good to the country and the people, pleading enthusiastically for the adoption or amendment of the Constitution for transforming Moldova into a presidential republic. For example, pursuing noble goals, President Dodon aimed to do what the President of a parliamentary republic should not do. He ostentatiously refused to assume the role of a mediator between the presidential institution and political forces, preferring to promote the interests of one party – the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM), which he headed earlier. In this regard, the Constitutional Court (CC) had to intervene, ruling that the President of the Republic should prove his impartiality and political neutrality, his equidistance towards all the parliamentary groups... (he) cannot be the member of a political party and cannot promote the interests of a political party in any form. It is sad to ascertain, but this didn’t help and the President ignored the CC judgment nonchalantly, declaring himself the informal leader of the PSRM. Before the campaign prior to the presidential elections of November 1, 2020, the current President insisted on the necessity of having additional powers, announcing the constitution of a constitutional reform commission.
What we expected and what President Dodon reported to us?
Before the campaign prior to the presidential elections, President Igor Dodon published the progress report for 2016-2020. We expected this report to refer to his accomplishments in the fields in which he has powers offered to him by the supreme law. In fact, we were presented something similar to an accounting-statistical report – the number of all kinds of meetings or of documents that he is anyway obliged to sign, etc. The report revealed that President Dodon has the sense of humor and knows to sneeringly treat his compatriots. For example, as he didn’t have any accomplishment in the foreign policy sector to report, he gladdened the supporters of the European integration by saying that the Association Agreement with the EU will not be annulled, and the supporters of the Eurasian integration – that we continue to be members of the CIS. And what is the President’s contribution to such a state of affairs actually? We should probably understand that he contributed to maintaining the status quo! This is a big accomplishment that is leading towards a balanced foreign policy.
Evidently, most of the accomplishments were reported in areas in which the President has no powers – society, economy and infrastructure. By publishing his progress report, President Dodon aimed to persuade us that while on the job he substituted the Parliament, the Government and the mayor’s offices that wouldn’t have been able to achieve something without his precious initiatives. Normally, the given legislative initiatives should be reported by the Socialist parliamentary group. A large part of the concrete achievements belong to the ex-coordinator of the government Vlad Plahotniuc, such as the first house, good roads, etc., which he initiated indeed. The highly appraised indexation of pensions is actually not Mister Dodon’s initiative, but is a rather old accomplishment of Ion Sturza’s Government. That government indexed the pensions once a year, while President Dodon proposed that this should be done twice a year. But the indexation is anyway done depending on the possibilities of the budget.
Any inhabitant of the capital city knows about President Dodon’s contribution to the good roads project. The other side of the coin is seen when we ask ourselves why we need the Socialist mayor Ion Ceban,if the country’s President has to come up with initiatives to repair or renovate streets? Judging by the aforementioned, we can say that President Dodon’s progress report is an excellent source of inspiration for ironic and even sarcastic remarks.
We ultimately convince ourselves that President Dodon manages to cover all the areas, except one, in which he didn’t report any success – human rights. Yes, the situation in this field was indeed distressing during his tenure. With his meticulousness of an accountant, he could report: how many compatriots were subject to torture and ill-treatment; how many cases were lost by our country at the ECHR; how many cases are pending; what budget funds were spent on paying damages to those who were wronged by Moldovan justice, etc.? A propos, the President has powers in this regard indeed. We deducted from his progress report that over 40% of the judges in the country were named by President Dodon himself. Regrettably, trust in the Moldovan justice sector remains where it was – at the lowest level.
As it was recently two years of the expulsion of the seven Turkish teachers from Moldova, this case really deserves to be treated as emblematic for the whole presidential mandate. The truth is that the contribution of the seven teachers to the improvement of our country’s prestige in the world is more valuable than the whole cinematographic activity described in President Dodon’s report. Nevertheless, the seven teachers were kidnapped by the law and handed over to the Turkish authorities for being convicted, practically immediately. No one was punished for this. The President could have intervened then, but he didn’t do it for the sake of a grant of several million US dollars that the administration of President Erdogan offered him for repairing the presidential building of the Republic of Moldova. Therefore, the President’s report contains only general expressions about the relationship between the Republic of Moldova and Turkey and nothing about the “transitioning” of the Turkish citizens. The Ombudsman’s Office was the only Moldovan institution that became involved to defend the Turkish teachers alongside ordinary citizens and students. We have what we deserve!
Conclusions
The campaign prior to the presidential elections is to start in less than a month. For now, the aspirants for the supreme post in the state constitute initiative groups and collect signatures for being registered as candidates. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems that this time we will have fewer candidates than usually. Evidently, it is the quality of the candidates, not their quantity that matters. That’s why it’s time to consider what President we should elect. Surely, we are waiting for candidates’ electoral programs. We realize that these should be upright persons, while their promises should be within the limits of the constitutional powers. Or the situation when we have nice reports, but no achievements will continue.
Indeed, referring to the Resident’s progress report for 2016-2020, we can say that if we examine it fugitively, we become impressed by its volume or by the multitude of figures. But if we start to read it, we realize that its content lacks substance? In fact, the quality of the report is characterized best by the proverb – it looks uglier in reality than from afar.
The good news is that President Igor Dodon hasn’t yet announced his decision to run for a new term in office. This is an encouraging sign for now. We convinced ourselves that he anyway fulfills in a jumble the duties of Parliament, the Government and the mayor’s office and why shouldn’t he then deal with what he knows best? If, for being able to exemplarily fulfill the duties of President, he needs the Constitution to be amended, he should better not run as he anyway will not succeed. It’s highly improbable that we will be lucky to see Mister Dodon rather as an MP, as the head of the Socialist parliamentary group, but chances anyway exist.
Victor Pelin
See related articles:
- Common candidate, slightly independent... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Prospects of battle of Pobeda bloc. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Conduct of 2024 census. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Presidential amnesia syndrome. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Impact of setting of date of presidential election and constitutional referendum. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Communist-Socialist gorillas against Victory. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Ex-premier Vasile Tarlev’s fourth attempt to return to politics. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Day of victory over fascism against the background of its reanimation. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- About constitutional referendum. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Manipulation by omission and shifting of emphasis. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Thoughts on 15th anniversary of April 7-8, 2009 events... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Referendum inflation. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Thoughts generated by Moscow terrorist attack. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Intrigue of Russia presidential election. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Guțul eclipsed Vlah? Op-ed by Victor Pelin
- Why does Irina Vlah’s platform risk not enjoying support? Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- What is at stake in presidential election. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Danger of fifth column and reaction of society. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Consequences of Yalta Conference: liberators vs. occupiers. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Sample of plagiarism and manipulation by omission. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Who won the elections yet? Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- About author of transformation of utopia into antiutopia. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- About state anti-Semitism... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- About miracles and winter holidays... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Longest war of Soviet imperialism. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Origin of culture of denouncements and informers. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Story of white bull is not most boring one... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Choice of Bessarabians... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Reanimation of propaganda reflexes. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- About memorable dates and undelivered promises... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Loss and reassertion of identity... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- On brink of eternity... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Interpretation of polls by politicians. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Glorification of Soviet-Nazi victory. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Choice imposed by two symbolic events. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Many mobilized, few elected... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Threats and intimidation on Independence Day. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- The impossibility of communism with a human face. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Second attempt to step into same river. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Gagauz crisis – developer of moral decadence. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Inauguration of governor of Dreamland... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Carthage must be destroyed! Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Ace of spades and resuscitation of success story. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Forcing doors open... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Special civil military operation. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- While waiting for Constitutional Court judgment... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Electoral prelude... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Dreamland of political adventurists... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Habit cures habit? Op-Ed de Victor Pelin
- Ultima ratio. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Fair of Communist-Socialist generosity. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Without MIR, for peace between nations, against aggression... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Silence kept by wedding party guests and deception of Shor’s victim... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Echo of April 7 events… Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Justifying rhetoric for eventual Russian aggression. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Exaggerated capacities of Maia Sandu... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Igor Dodon’s premonitions and its effects. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Communists make call for terror? Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- How long will we remain caught in the toils of falsehoods? Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Subversive actions – Russia relapses? Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Critics of Gavrilița Government... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Apostles of war. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Times of Natashas have come? Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Traditional values... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Black swan, the last hope... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Regime of Putin declared terrorist. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Lost letters. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- The European alternative of Mayor Ion Ceban. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- When hounds growls, puppies also bark... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Devastating potential of powerful Putinist ideas. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- The crab, the frog and a pike... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Europeanization of Gagauzia. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Cooperation with NATO and complementation of 3C strategy. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- About benefits of occupation... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Geopolitical alternative, stake of opposition. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Wormhole and end of Moldovan geopolitics... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Half-truths more dangerous than lies... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- 3D – Despair, Demagogy, Deja-vu – strategy. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Natalia beating round the bush in Big House. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Weak government challenged by discredited and confused opposition. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- End of post-Soviet transition. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Misanthrope atavism. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- May! Labor! Peace? Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Spring fever and opium for people. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- What purpose do opinion polls serve? Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Hybrid warfare of government and opposition. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Invitation to aggression ... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Maia Sandu and PAS – beneficiaries of special operation... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Kaa and hypnotized monkeys. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Russian or Arab spring? Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Russia builds a new world order... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Crocodile will not pull back... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- The powder keg. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Multipolar world after 15 years of pretensions... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Like it or not, country will rebuild itself. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Socialists oscillating between three models. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- What is permissible for Jupiter is not permissible for ... Op-Ed by VictorPelin
- Between hammer and anvil. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- 2022, year of geopolitical crises. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- “Congress of winners” or Parallels between Igor Dodon and Mahtama Gandhi. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Enigma shrouded in mystery... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Revolt of Ilan Șor’s company... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Pension system and politicians’ speculations. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- What is good and what is bad... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- How to fight hatred and foolishness? Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Maia Sandu’s one year of presidency. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Gerontocracy in action. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- We do not surrender country to foreigners? Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- First electoral test for new government. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Năstase, Filip, Dodon... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Cases of Stoianoglo and Gațcan. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Yellow and maroon bullshit. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Charm of electronic voting. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Moldova, Moldovans, Moldovan? Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Lustration. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Waiting for good times... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Similar steps in foreign policy... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
-
- Stepping on rakes. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Power and opposition... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Vote of Transnistrians. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Electoral confusions. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Danger of disappearance of Moldova. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Lack of discernment. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Futuristic reflections. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Electoral fibs. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Voronin’s panegyric. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Speculative geopolitics. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Turns of political weathervanes. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Assimilators and pretenders to Plahotniuc’s inheritance. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Does Moldova have a future? Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Communists’ amnesia. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Who divides society? Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- About electoral blocs. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Joint effort of parties of the left... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- About constitutional aberrations. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Usurpations of usurped power… Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Danger of regional war... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Bafflement of Socialists. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Competition of Igor Dodon vs. Maia Sandu. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Enigma of April 7, 2009 events. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Zinaida Grechanyi complains to Council of Europe. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Vaccination and political games. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Why is Maia Sandu more dangerous than Vlad Plahotniuc? Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Institutional memory of Moldova’s presidential administration. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Coalition of the brazen. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Steps towards Union... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Troublesome decree. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Success of failure... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Balance of accomplishments of Presidents elected by general vote... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Orthodox Church in danger... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- PSRM, QUO VADIS? Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Confrontation between Mentor and Tester. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Russia confirms high quality of Moldovan wine. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- “List of sins” of Maia Sandu. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Maia Sandu’s “taburetka”. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Delayed actions of Maia Sandu. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Socialists’ departures and decline. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Inevitability of snap elections. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Boomerang. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- In Moscow, after directives... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Unfavorable inheritance. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Danger of Igor Dodon’s opportunism. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Preparations for snap elections. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Electoral performance of unionists. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Grimaces of neo-paganism. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Socialists’ dilemma. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- From defeat to defeat up to victory... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- National consensus and division of society. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Imperialist movement vs. NGOs. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Paganism vs. Christian values. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Renato Usatyi versus Igor Dodon. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Ana Guțu and watchdogs. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Splendor and misery... of propagandists. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- About lackeys and sons of a bitch. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Bifurcated candidates. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- The discrepancy between words and deeds. Op-Ed byVictor Pelin
- Coincidence? I don’t think so! Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Moldovan political fauna, Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- “Russian people’s present”, Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Independence Day. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Commemoration of victims of totalitarian regimes. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Vaccination and chipping of Moldovans. Pamphlet by Victor Pelin
- Balanced foreign policy. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Solution: Annulment of presidential elections! Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Beam in Maia’s eye… Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- A new attack with gases, Op-Ed
- Renato Usatyi – President Dodon’s Furgal, Op-Ed
- While waiting for... Patriarch Kirill, Op-Ed
- President Dodon’s change of orientation, Op-Ed
- Where is the money, Ștefănică? Op-Ed