As you know, the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, several days ago made a proposal to hold a national referendum on the country’s foreign policy vector at the end of 2024. This proposal aims to achieve the following two goals.
First. To obtain voters' approval of the government's policies. Namely: the course towards Moldova’s accession to the European Union and a parallel break with the CIS and Russia.
Second. To facilitate the re-election of Maia Sandu as President of the Republic of Moldova for a second term, since the proposed referendum is planned to be held on the same day as the election of the head of the Moldovan state. On December 28, the Parliament of Moldova legislatively approved the possibility of holding elections and a referendum on the same day.
At the same time, the Chisinau ruling group understands that its position in the country has weakened over the past two years due to the actual policy of “shock therapy”, which led to a multiple increase in prices and tariffs, as well as to the loss of inexpensive Russian gas, which was beneficial to the Moldovan consumers.
Consequently, under conditions of normal democratic competition, and also taking into account the fact that the majority of the population of Moldova does not want to break ties with Russia and join NATO, the party in power may lose the presidential elections. The referendum is intended to increase the chances of Maia Sandu as a candidate from the party in power for re-election.
So, the proposal to hold both elections and a referendum in Moldova on the same day was voiced at the highest level of the authorities there. The highlight is that we are watching the promotion of a political combination that involves the involvement of Pridnestrovians with Moldovan passports in voting, in order to then declare: Pridnestrovie has joined the electoral process of Moldova and, together with all cities and regions of the Republic of Moldova, voted for the “European choice.” And for Maia Sandu too.
At the same time, it is planned, as stated earlier, to declare that the “Pridnestrovian region” refuses an alliance with Russia.
The following facts suggest that everything is thought this way and not otherwise.
First. Chisinau has already stated that polling stations for the Moldovan elections will not be able to be deployed in Pridnestrovie itself, since, according to the leaders of the Republic of Moldova, it “is not controlled by the constitutional authorities of Moldova.” Therefore, they develop their idea, it is necessary to attract Pridnestrovians to vote on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. In this situation, the Pridnestrovian state will not be able to verify the authenticity of the will of Moldovan passport holders living in the PMR. That is, we cannot exclude the risk of falsification, after which it will again be stated that all the voters, including Pridnestrovians, supported the “European choice” and the current president of the Republic of Moldova.
Second. Knowing that the ratings of those in power in Moldova had fallen very much, in Chisinau they also started talking about the need to maximally involve in voting the so-called diaspora that is abroad. As you know, if not for the “diaspora,” the results of the 2020 presidential elections could have been different. Thus, the votes of Pridnestrovians, if they decide in any number to vote in the Moldovan presidential elections and the 2024 referendum (if it takes place), will be blocked by the citizens of the Republic of Moldova who have not lived in their homeland for a long time and are completely controlled by the authorities of the Western countries in which they are now reside. This way the ruling regime can try to get the desired results.
And finally, the most important thing. By deploying the idea of a proposed referendum, the nationalist authorities of the Republic of Moldova and their curators from the West and Romania are planning to cancel the results of the popular referendums held in the PMR on December 1, 1991 and September 17, 2006. By involving Pridnestrovians in the so-called national referendum on the territory of Moldova, the ruling Chisinau regime seeks to de facto withdraw the decisions taken by Pridnestrovian government structures.
All of it is transparent, but the current government of the Republic of Moldova simply cannot have any other plan by definition. In order to obtain an objective picture of the foreign policy preferences of its own citizens, it would be logical for Chisinau to hold presidential elections and a referendum in 2024 on the territory that the Moldovan authorities actually control.
Moreover, it would be fair to conduct these electoral events not under the conditions of a nationalist dictatorship, which we have now, but under conditions of truly democratic choice. To do this you need:
Cancel bans on ALL media banned by the ruling regime.
Cancel bans on the activities of ALL political forces in Moldova that are subject to such sanctions.
Stop repressions against ALL political opponents, including those arrested, as well as politicians driven out of the country and removed from the election campaign.
Unblock ALL previously blocked Internet resources.
Otherwise, it will be an imitation and a venture, created in order, we repeat, to obtain the results needed by the ruling regime in Chisinau. Pridnestrovie, whose state policy aimed at international recognition of the independence of the PMR and an alliance with Russia, received the approval of the Pridnestrovian people in truly democratic referendums, does not make any sense to participate in such ventures.
Andrey Safonov, political scientist
