While some pundits believe a tactical partnership between the Socialist Party and the electoral bloc NOW would be a good idea, others say it’s not feasible both ideologically and practically.
WhatchDog community expert Valeriu Pașa told Jurnal TV a full-fledged four-year coalition would be impossible as the differences between the two forces have been historically too big to reconcile. However, Pașa notes that both the Socialists and the NOW components appear to have a set of compatible goals like setting state institutions free from oligarchic captivity and reinstating rule of law. “True, the Socialists and NOW have had totally opposite visions. True, they cannot govern side by side. But they have a duty, reasonable and moral, to take down these captive institutions and create conditions for free and fair, or at least decent elections. And then head for snap elections as normal political forces and let the people decide the winner”.
However Veaceslav Ioniță, of the think-tank IDIS, is skeptical. He noted that alliances declaring themselves pro-European had been unable in the last nine years to truly reform the state, and “transforming the country into an example of democracy within two weeks’ time” would be just too big a task for a short-lived partnership. Ioniță suggested that it takes more than several months to carry out the deep legislative reforms necessary for a democratic state. “So they implement all these reforms, they transform the institutions, replace people and regulations, and you tell me this isn’t governing together? This would be the greatest governing process ever”.
Ioniță added that the inaugural Parliament meeting would be a good indication of a potential coalition, as a minimum of 51 votes are required to approve a chairperson.
Following the February 24 legislative elections, seats in the 101-seat Moldovan Parliament have been distributed as follows: 35 for the Socialist Party, 30 for the Democratic Party, 26 for the electoral bloc NOW, 7 for the Shor Party, and three independents.