It is an illusion to believe that the Republic of Moldova is outside any foreign influence, not only during electoral periods, but daily, even if is an insignificant subject of international law that cannot try and secure its interests and development without being connected to particular rules of the game, Mark Mazureanu, specialist in compared policies and international relations, stated in IPN’s public debate “Snap elections 2021: What happened, what can happen at foreign level?”.
He noted the Republic of Moldova does not have capacities and power to not allow foreign influence in the area of its sovereignty. In particular cases, the alignment with the international norms and standards ensures the legitimacy and legality of internal processes, in this case of the elections.
Mark Mazureanu said the international commitments have an impact on Moldova because the country is too small to be autonomous. “The non-observance of the international commitments means that the rest of the players close the eyes and then warn you and exclude you from the game. The exclusion from the game makes you play alone, which means playing with yourself. Examples of such state formations are the Transnistrian region, Ossetia and others,” he stated.
As to the general perception that the diaspora influenced the election results, Mark Mazureanu said that together with (monetary) remittances, the diaspora sends also “political remittances”. The new diasporas always contribute financially to the needs of the population from inside. Among the characteristics of the Moldovan diaspora from the West is the great mobilization, communication and information capacity. The transmission of values inside this is much greater than in the Eastern area. Furthermore, the economic situation in Russian worsened considerably, influencing the value of remittances.
The specialist considers the new Moldovan authorities should take into account the fact that any jump forward reveals also the ‘losers’ besides the winners and they should take measures for these – teachers, doctors, pensioners - not to feel disadvantaged. The opposition will lay emphasis namely on these if the government ignores those who live on public funds.
As to the prospects of the relations with Russia, Mark Mazureanu said these will deteriorate and will be even radicalized in parts. The new government should not take the bait that can lead to crises and conflicts. When Moldova distances itself from this “marriage”, the people will easily see the advantages of the new “marriage”.
As other experts, Mark Mazureanu considers the problem of staff in the government is a pressing issue for PAS. Besides, the people expect transparency to be ensured in the process of recruiting functionaries, while the opposition will point to the flaws.
The public debate “Snap elections 2021: What happened, what can happen at foreign level?” is the 198th installment of the project “Developing Political Culture through Public Debates” that is implemented by IPN with support from the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
