Parliamentary elections will take place in Moldova on November 30. Some of the political parties have already started, officially or not, electoral actions, while some haven't. IPN Agency set out to sketch the “portraits” of political parties as recorded by society's perception, before the official start of the electoral campaign. We consider this to be a useful exercise for Moldovan voters, who will gain additional and concentrated information that they may find useful on the day of elections, and also for the parties themselves, who will get some hints on how to improve their image. This portrait might also help to better understand what one or another Moldovan party wants to be and what it really is. To this goal, many experts have been asked to comment on the parties' chance to make it into the next Parliament, the way they fulfilled their previous electoral promises, the possible coalitions, topics, tactics and strategies they might employ to get the voters' attention. Political parties are presented in order of the number of seats they hold in the current Legislative and of the results obtained during the previous parliamentary elections in 2010.
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The Renaissance (Renastere-Возрождение) Party, led by Vadim Misin and represented by three members in the current Parliament, has hardly any chances to make it to the next Legislative, but a bloc of leftist parties could improve the odds. This party targets the votes of Russian speakers, but the competition for this electorate is fierce.
Political expert Denis Cenusa thinks that Vadim Misin departure from the Communists' Party is still seen as a betrayal by voters, especially by those that could have voted for him. The group's trump card is that Vadim Misin knows from the inside the “sins” of PCRM leader Vladimir Voronin and of other Communists. He could use this information to generate some interest in his party. However, it's a double-edged sword as any criticism of former party colleagues could also be extended to Vadim Misim himself as a PCRM veteran and former member of the Voronin regime.
Cenusa estimates the electoral chances of this party are close to nil, as it has been very passive so far. Its rhetoric could focus on criticizing the pro-European government and on flying the Russian flag. Considering its real influence, an expensive electoral campaign is highly unlikely. Joining a bloc could be the party's only chance, says the expert, and there are other parties with former Communists who could join up. Nonetheless, it's hard to imagine so many personal interests coexisting in the same bloc.
Victor Juc, of the Moldovan Academy of Sciences' Institute of Legal and Political Research, reminded that the Renaissance Party was created by several MPs who won their seats on the ticket of the Communists' Party and, one day, probably because of financial reasons, left PCRM and created a new party, oriented towards the protection of Russian speakers. However, the party was very passive and Vadim Misin seemed more lively while a Communist.
Juc thinks that if a leftist bloc led by the Socialists' Party is created, some Renaissance representatives could make it on the list. Still, a bloc has an electoral threshold of 12%. The expert thinks the high threshold and the small electorate will discourage the formation of a bloc.
Victor Juc predicts that the parliamentary career of the party and its leader will end with current elections because the Russian-speaking voters will continue to vote for the Communists. A previous case is that of the Patria-Rodina Party, that managed a good result in 2005, but failed to attract any voters afterwards. Juc thinks there are simply too many parties fighting over the votes of Russian speakers.
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As part of this campaign, IPN has already published a review of the experts' opinions on the Communists' Party, the Liberal Democratic Party, the Democratic Party , the Liberal Party and the Liberal Reformists Party.
Mariana Galben, IPN
