“In a society in which the people respect each other and there is political culture and the basic education, the candidates would not cross the “red lines” and would not resort to the denigration of the opponent,” expert in political sciences Aurelian Lavric stated in IPN’s public debate “Election campaign in first and second rounds: affinities, differences, effects”.
He said the differences between the messages of the two candidates for President, Maia Sandu and Igor Dodon, can be divided according to three dimensions. “The first is the sociopolitical dimension: the people do not care who accuses who and what they want to see is what solutions to their problems the candidates propose. The second is the geopolitical dimension: the voters want to see how the candidate who, as the future President, will have particular constitutional powers, will choose the direction for the country, will manage to maintain good relations with the geopolitical power poles. The third is the dimension of values: the people want to see what values the candidates promote. One of the values should be the respect for the opponent. If a candidate shows hatred toward the other candidate, this shows hatred toward those who support this candidate,” stated Aurelian Lavric.
He noted the two candidates are not in equal conditions as to the appearances in the media given that more TV channels promote Igor Dodon. The incumbent President’s status of independent candidate has a media impact as the mass media are attentive to what he declares, where he goes and what he does. On the social networking sites, the two candidates are equally active. They have pages in their support and also use the statements for the press. The one who will better use this set of instruments can secure the victory in the runoff. The social networking sites are important in urban areas, where the voters are connected to the Internet. Other instruments should be used for the voters from rural areas where many families are not connected to the Internet, probably analogue TV channels.
As regards the non-participation of candidates in electoral debates, the expert said Maia Sandu and her colleagues consider the score in the first round of voting is a tendency and this score could rise. Secondly, the strategy of the PAS candidate was based on the building of a negative image to her opponent and this does not allow her to have direct contact with him. But this is a risky approach as the vote among the Moldovan voters is rather emotional and they need to see the candidate and hear this speaking.
Aurelian Lavric noted that if the voters are active in elections, this shows that they are a nation, a people that decides its fate. He called on the people to vote even if the candidates are not always the expression of their ideal profile. “We choose from what we have, but must realize that they are the expression of our society. The hatred we witness in the electoral public sphere between the two is the expression of hatred in society,” he stated.
The debate “Election campaign in first and second rounds: affinities, differences, effects” was the ninth installment of the series “We and the President: who elects who, who represents who” that is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
