The independent candidate for President Igor Dodon is right when he says that the voters of the center-left - left are larger in number than the voters of center right – right, but he ignores the fact that a part of the center-right voters have pro-European views. These voters will tend to support the candidate who is for Moldova’s rapprochement with the European Union. In the runoff vote, the geopolitical preferences of the people will matter, Victor Juc, director of the Institute for Legal, Political and Sociological Research, said in IPN’s public debate “First round of presidential elections 2020: lessons learned and lessons to be learned”.
The expert noted that the Eurasian rapprochement for Igor Dodon is a strategic priority, while the rapprochement with the EU is a major policy direction. His opponent of the PAS Maia Sandu is for closer relations with the EU. Maia Sandu has very good chances of becoming the next President. It is important that those votes given to Renato Usatyi do not go to Igor Dodon. “I expect a part of the voters who are faithful to Renato Usatyi will not cast their ballots, as will a part of those who voted for Violeta Ivanov, given particular individual affinities. I think the geopolitical factor will be decisive this time,” stated Victor Juc.
According to him, all the candidates who took part in the first round of elections presented good country modernization programs, but used different strategies and tactics. They all, except for Tudor Deliu, focused on the improvement of the living conditions and proposed different strategies. The representatives of the unionist segment, Dorin Chirtoacă and Octavian Țîcu, centered on the union with Romania and the transfer of all the activity pillars existing in Romania to the left bank of the Prut. Maia Sandu focused on the idea that if the juridical context favors modernization, development and democratization, all the problems can be solved. The voters could shape their option based on a wide variety of ideas.
Victor Juc noted the center-left segment remained without representation as the Democratic Party didn’t field a candidate for President, while the candidate proposed by Pro Moldova wasn’t admitted to the race. Most of the center-left voters leaned to Renato Usatyi and probably, to a smaller extent, to Igor Dodon and, to a much smaller extent, to Maia Sandu. The people probably examined less their electoral programs and voted more by tradition. But there is one more aspect here. The people are tired of seeing the incumbent President so often on radio and TV, undertaking the fight against the pandemic. This made them not give him the electoral support they offered to him in the elections of 2016.
The public debate “First round of presidential elections 2020: lessons learned and lessons to be learned” was the 158th installment of the series “Developing political culture through public debates” that is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
