The oscillation by Moldova between the East and the West is expected to be overcome. At least this can be deduced from the pre-electoral benchmarks of the most influential political parties of the country – the Democratic Party of Moldova (PDM), which controls the Government, and the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM), which controls the Presidential Office. The PDM’s re-positioning as pro-Moldova is convergent with the pro-Moldova’s positioning of the PSRM. That’s why it is highly probable that the two parties will have a common pro-Moldova project.
In this regard, the main problem refers to the opportunity for assuming the common project – before or after the parliamentary elections. In the talk show “Politics of Natalia Morari” on TV8 channel, Socialist MP Adrian Lebedinski said “They (PDM) took our message because they try to denigrate us and to destroy the idea of integrating Moldova, as they did in the case of the European integration idea”. This message shows it clearly that the PSRM would not accept convergence in a common pro-Moldova project with the PDM before the parliamentary elections. So, the assumption of the convergent common pro-Moldova project is postponed until after the elections. It is somehow normal to be so. After the elections, each of the two parties will know their eventual share in this project.
To estimate the probability of this very topical scenario, we should see what separates and what units the two parties. The programmatic objectives stipulated in parties’ official documents - statutes and programs – are definitely different. On the one hand, the PSRM has to persuade its voters that it intends to fulfil its strategic statutory goal – the building in the Republic of Moldova of a democratic Socialist society, and also the programmatic goal – a Moldova without oligarchs... The entry into the Customs Union, participation in creating and developing the Eurasian Union can really help Moldova recover. On the other hand, the strategic, statutory goal of the PDM is to support Moldova’s European integration strategy. Among its programmatic objectives are to guarantee the respect for the political, economic and social human rights in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights and other international law documents.
It is important to also underline the similarities between the two parties.
First of all, it may seem paradoxical, but the two parties are united by exactly what separates them. The PSRM’s strategic goal to build a Socialist society in the Republic of Moldova is unachievable as the Party of Socialists became a clerical and petit bourgeois party. It is not hard to show this as even the PSRM’s political program envisions the giving of a special role to the Orthodox Church and: introduction in the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova of a preamble by which the role of foundation of ‘the cultural and national tradition of the Moldovan people will be given to Christianity. Such objectives have nothing to do with the Socialist doctrine and is typical of conservatory, petit bourgeois parties. After the informal leader of the PSRM Igor Dodon renounced the own economic strategy in favor of the PDM’s strategy concerning taxation, capital amnesty, citizenship by investment, etc., no one can yet doubt the fact that the PSRM is a small bourgeois party. Also, the strategic goals of the PDM are practically unattainable as the recent events concerning the invalidation of elections, expulsion of citizens in breach of national and international norms cannot match the objective to guarantee the human rights in accordance with the Universal Declaration and the European Convention. So, both of the parties set unachievable strategic objectives and this really units them!
Secondly, both of the parties have statutory and programmatic provisions that coincide. This way, the statutes of the PDM provide that: the PDM is for building a civic nation in the Republic of Moldova according to the principle “we are all Moldovans – citizens of the Republic of Moldova”, respecting simultaneously every citizen’s right to identify its ethnic origin themselves. At the same time, the PSRM’s statutes stipulate similar things concerning the multinational Moldovan people.
Thirdly, the party elites that are descended mainly from the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) are what the PDM and PCRM have in common. All these factors taken together create favorable preconditions for a common pro-Moldova post-electoral project.
What remains is for the PDM’s geopolitical pendulum to move towards the pro-European direction, while that of the PSRM to move from the Eurasian direction towards the eventual state of balance – pro-Moldova. Surely, it is highly probable that the stopping of the geopolitical pendulum in the pro-Moldova position will actually mean getting stuck in this project, which is in the Gray Area where things are indefinite and uncertain.
IPN Experts
