Ideal day for diversions and electoral challenges. Info-Prim Neo analysis

Today, June 2, is the last but one day of the election campaign for the June 5 local elections. It is also the most favorable day for all kinds of large-scale electoral challenges and diversions, which can be staged with the aim of strengthening the results obtained by some of the runners in the campaign or of making the situation benefit other contenders. There is also the last day of the campaign that can be used for such purposes, but it is rather risky for the possible authors to leave everything for the last day. There are two types of arguments in favor of the abovementioned conclusion, related both to the electoral technology norms and the traditions established in the Moldovan political sphere. The current campaign was rather interesting, dynamic and innovative, possibly the most professional one as regards the use of political technologies since the declaration of independence. This characteristic refers not only to certain contenders, but also to the general atmosphere of the election campaign. Most of the contenders, especially those competing for posts in the public administration of Chisinau, used important resources and advanced technologies, and interacted a lot and in a non-traditional way with the voters and between them. They all took part in televised debates, which happened for the first time. There were involved forces from outside and inside the country. The runners counted a lot on the political factor as well as the social, cultural, ethnic, linguistic and other factors. Some of them unexpectedly and radically changed their electoral message, compared with other campaigns. Others applied new messages and forms that have not been earlier used in Moldova. The period of the election campaign was fully used, without great delays and pauses. The tone of the campaign was set by the Liberal Party’s candidate Dorin Chirtoaca and the Communist Party’s candidate Igor Dodon. They were followed by the candidate of the Democratic Party Valentina Buliga, independent candidate Mihai Godea, the Social Democratic Party’s candidate Sergiu Coropceanu, and others. Surely we witnessed also amorphous and uninspired actions as well as moves and challenges to the limit of lawfulness. But the rather high quality of the campaign points to the fact that the Moldovan political class became more mature, which should gladden us, and to the high stake of the local elections, which should probably sadden us {(see the analysis published on May 18, 2011)}. Logically, a well thought out campaign cannot have a dull ending. But a good ending should be memorable. The diversions and challenges are the most memorable events in elections. Presumably, the electoral staffs planned them beforehand. The diversions and challenges mounted at the end of the campaign four years ago upended situations and produced effects. Info-Prim Neo Agency was involved in one of them volens-nolens. Even if this case was described in detail in the collection “Electoral lessons at the democracy school in Moldova”, which was published by the Agency after the local elections of 2007 {(see Chapter VII, pages 96-101)}, we should return to it so as to be better prepared to understand certain events that can happen today or tomorrow. Four years ago, on the last Thursday of the campaign for the 2007 local elections, whose first round of voting took place on June 3, the Agency published a news story based on a communiqué without verifying the information - {(“Liberal Party’s candidate for Chisinau mayor Dorin Chirtoaca withdraws from electoral race”)}. In over half an hour, Info-Prim Neo published a new story, with a different content {(“Dorin Chirtoaca was the victim of electoral technologies”)}. That morning, Info-Prim Neo witnessed febrile agitation – will the news item about the withdrawal be published or not? The communiqué looked credible and was sent on a paper with the Liberal Party’s heading and to a number of credible email addresses. Candidate Mihai Roscovan withdrew from the race on the eve and announced his decision by a similar communiqué. This fact gave the communiqué from the Liberal Party additional credibility. An elementary rule says the information should be verified. Dorin Chirtoaca, who was very accessible to the press, repeatedly did not answer the phone. We thought that if a news conference was to take later, as the communiqué informed, Dorin Chirtoaca probably did not want to talk to the reporters before it. But Info-Prim has the ambition and even the obligation not to stay and wait for the information to reach it. It was a Thursday, when all the papers including the weeklies, sent the last pages to the publishing houses. Many of them are the Agency’s subscribers and they may have not forgiven us for a delay or omission on their last day of election campaign. We considered that a telephone call to the Liberal Party’s head office would have made the situation worse. There had been disagreements inside the party during several weeks and we questioned the accuracy of the explanations that we could obtain there. Dorin Chirtoaca was the only credible source, but he did not answer the phone. We risked and failed. We realized it in several hours when we discussed with Dorin Chirtoaca. We published a correction. We appreciated Chirtoaca’s last words “but maybe it is better so”. The Party of Socialists’ candidate Valetin Krylov announced his withdrawal from the race for the mayoralty in a news conference at Info-Prim Neo yesterday, June 1. Today only started. What it is known at this hour is that the Liberal Party is holding a news conference themed “Your vote matters”. It involves Dorin Chirtoaca, who runs for a new term in office, and the party’s team of candidate for municipal councilors. The event was set to take place in front of the City Hall, starting at 9.00. At 10.00, the Communist candidate Igor Dodon will give a news conference themed “Challenges and diversions in the election campaign in Chisinau”. But the diversions and challenges are not staged at news conferences. The possible provocations will not be related to withdrawals from the race as nobody will use a well-known method again. However, we can be sure of nothing at the end of the election campaign. [Valeriu Vasilica, Info-Prim Neo]