Chişinău lashes out at Moscow’s interference

The pro-Russian Moldovan President has again taken a stand against the pro-European Government and Parliament.

Bogdan Matei, 09.02.2018, 13:37

Less than one year before legislative elections, everything in the Republic of Moldova is revolving around politics and everything has geopolitical reverberations. On the right side of the political spectrum, the opposition Liberal Party as well as the many groups outside Parliament and civic organizations are pleading for reunification with Romania. Also, there is a growing number of local councils that have adopted symbolic declarations related to unification. In the center of the political spectrum, the pro-western coalition government dominated by the Democratic Party counts on European integration and, without sharing the unionist ideal, they are promoting excellent relations with Bucharest and cold relations with Moscow.

On the left side of the political spectrum, the remaining Communist Party and the Socialists led, de facto, by the head of state, Igor Dodon, are not hiding their intention to bring the Republic of Moldova back among Russia’s satellites. Dominated by the pro-western MPs, the Moldovan Parliament on Thursday passed a declaration through which they condemn the attacks leveled by the Russian Federation against Moldova’s information security, and its abusive interference with the political activity of Moldova. The attacks, launched by means of the TV channels in Moscow and of Moldovan media institutions, are aimed at denigrating the Republic of Moldova, the Moldovan institutions and officials and especially the Moldovan citizens, writes the document passed by the Moldovan MPs.

Quite predictably, the declaration was voted by the members of the majority coalition and rejected by the pro-Russian Socialists and Communists. According to commentators the declaration is a reply to the document passed last month by the Russian Federation State Duma, which denounces the new audiovisual law in the Republic of Moldova, the so-called ‘anti-propaganda law’, which restricts the broadcasting of Russian TV channels. President Dodon says the declaration of the Moldovan Parliament is the most impulsive anti-Russian message launched at the level of Parliament in the past 25 years.

A former presidential advisor in Bucharest and the founder of a think-tank specializing in the analysis of the ex-Soviet space, university professor Iulian Chifu has tried to explain the situation:

“The Russian Federation benefits from the actions of this pro-Russian Socialist president, Igor Dodon, who last year alone traveled to the Russian Federation 8 times, with or without purpose or meaning. What’s obvious is that, at the level of image, he is a very strong promoter of the Russian message.”

According to professor Chifu, the stands taken in the Moldovan Parliament are strictly defensive. 80% of the public space in Moldova is controlled, in terms of rating, by the Russian mass media.P rofessor Chifu says we should hail the existence of an anti-propaganda law meant to thwart disinformation and prevent manipulation to the benefit of Moscow.