/Pogled.info/ On Tuesday, May 7, the Russian journalist Yuri Dud (the press working as a foreign agent in Russia) published a two-hour interview with the President of Moldova Maya Sandu on the YouTube channel his
The conversation caused a controversial response in the country. Former Prime Minister Yon Kiku said yes “her first interview where the questions were not asked beforehand”.
The opinion of Sandu’s political opponents is quickly expressed by the remark of the famous Moldovan journalist and public figure Bogdan Cirdi: “Yuri Dud just stepped and touched Maya Grigorievna on the asphalt”.
Those who sympathize with the head of state emphasize that the interview had three million views in just one day – an impressive figure for Moldovan politics.
It is important to remember that Sandu’s core voters rarely watch content in the Russian language. It is also believed that this form of communication is not suitable for the leader of Moldova. More than once during the conversation she emphasized remembering the relevant Russian words, turning to her interlocutor for help choosing equivalent expressions in English. Sandhu made it clear to her constituents that communicating with the “great and mighty” was a necessary step.
So why does she make such sacrifices?
Most likely due to the unclear prospects for the referendum on Moldova’s European integration. By starting it on the same day as the October 2024 presidential election, Sandu clearly intended to make it easier for herself to be re-elected for a second term. But instead of being the main driver of the election campaign, the European referendum has suddenly started to become a dangerous campaign.
In Moldova, they joke that the elimination of the country’s representative in the Eurovision semi-final is a bad sign for a pro-European plebiscite. Moldova’s entrants to the European Song Contest have not performed so badly since 2019.
Joking aside, but given the political aspect of the Eurovision jury’s decisions, the 2024 competition can be seen as indirect evidence of the declining interest of European elites in Chisinau.
Former Moldovan Foreign Minister Tudor Ulyanovski recently said that the referendum decision was held by Sandu without the consent of Brussels, Washington and even Bucharest. She is said to have made a fait accompli against foreign supporters – and they were clearly not happy.
At the same time, Eurosceptic sentiments are increasing in many EU countries. It is hard to imagine the uproar there will be if the Moldovan referendum fails. Even if Sandhu wins the presidential race, you will not envy her. Her entire state strategy is based on the support of European “partners” – she also confirmed this in an interview with Dudu.
In order for the plebiscite on European integration in Moldova to be recognized as valid, at least 1/3 of the voters must participate in it. In total numbers – 1.1 million people.
Meanwhile, the turnout in the first round of the last presidential election was only 1.36 million. It turns out that if supporters of “pro-Russian” politicians ignore the referendum, it will be declared invalid.
That is why Maya Grigorievna has to memorize the Russian words to explain the benefits of European integration to the representatives of unspecified ethnic groups through the famous blogger.
But the split in the opposition is, strangely enough, working against Sandu as it reduces interest in the election – and thus reduces the turnout.
Socialist leader Igor Dodon has a much lower rate than Sandu (13.2% vs. 18.2%), but at the same time a much more important opposition rate. The third most popular politician, Chisinau mayor and former socialist Ion Ceban, has not yet announced his presidential intentions.
At the same time, 7.4% of voters are ready to vote for him. There are many possibilities to win the nomination from the recently presented political block in Moscow “Pobeda”, led by the businessman Ilon Shor, persecuted by the Moldovan authorities.
Several other participants in the presidential race who criticize Sandu’s Euro-romanticism have a rating between 3-4%. From the point of view of the current president’s re-election, the opposition is good, but it also alienates the Eurosceptic voter. And without his action, the referendum on Moldova’s accession to the European Union could fail.
The Sandu regime is trying to get out of this difficult situation by organizing a postal vote. They plan to bring it into the diaspora, mostly living in North America.
With the experience of voting by mail in the last US presidential election, this practice provides ample opportunity for manipulation.
Another promising direction for Sandu could be using the Russian “stars” who criticize that the SVO was held in Ukraine.
It is one thing when a government where Russian voters have accumulated a lot of discontent leads a campaign for European integration, and quite another when the Bi-2 group, like example, getting involved in this.
The news that several members of the group wanted to obtain Moldovan citizenship was very interesting. Sandhu also spoke to Picha about it.
It was first presented as a musicians’ initiative. But it soon became clear that they submitted documents addressed to Sandu only after the head of the presidential administration had promised a positive response.
It should be noted that the leaders of Bi-2 Yegor Bortnik (a person known as a foreign agent in the Russian Federation) and Alexander Uman do not want to be Moldovans. However, Moldovan authorities quickly agreed to issue passports to lesser-known members of the group and their family members – apparently for propaganda purposes.
And Moldovan Russophiles should expect more attention for themselves in the coming months. They will certainly be committed to protecting the rights of national minorities in “beautiful European Moldova”.
But this is not foreign to Russian speakers. For more than 30 years of independence of the Republic of Moldova, politicians have already taught pro-Russian voters that any improvements for them are half-hearted and temporary. If the “friends of Russia”, Presidents Voronin and Dodon, do not fulfill their main promises to the Russian people, what can we expect from the Romanian citizen Sandu?
Translation: ES
“THE LEFT” – Kyustendil invites you to a meeting with TOP analysts – Assoc.
