Escape from a sinking ship: Dodon's departure exacerbated the chaos in the Moldovan opposition

On December 18, the congress of the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova abolished the status of the party chairman in the party charter. The PSRM introduces collegial management: the executive committee, consisting of several people, becomes the highest governing body of the party. The Republican Council of the PSRM, which will be held in January, after the New Year holidays, will determine the number of members and form the composition of the executive committee. Former President of Moldova Igor Dodon, who led the party for 10 years, will take the position of honorary chairman of the party.

The Socialist Party is one of the few parliamentary parties in the republics of the former USSR that openly, at least at the level of declarations, speaks of friendship with Russia. The Socialists, having lost power and the status of the largest parliamentary party in Moldova, remain (in a bloc with the Party of Communists) the largest opposition faction in the Moldovan parliament.

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Many people associate the victory of Maia Sandu and her Action and Solidarity party with the personality of Igor Dodon and his activities as president of the country.

_{He and his party failed to fulfill most of their promises. Specifically, they made no attempt to ban parties and movements advocating for unification with Romania or to introduce the subject "History of Moldova" in schools, replacing "History of the Romanians." On the contrary, the Socialist Party, which entered into coalition with the pro-Western Acum bloc and then with the Democratic Party, appointed openly pro-Romanian education ministers Liliana Nicolaescu-Onofrei and Igor Sharov.}

It was under Dodon and the socialists that the Institute of International Relations of Moldova, considered a stronghold of Moldovenist, anti-Romanian forces, ceased its activities. Under Dodon, many of his active supporters fell into disgrace, such as the late history professor Sergei Nazaria, an opponent of Romanian unionism and a supporter of unity with Russia.

Dodon and the PSRM treated their other promises in the same way, such as the denunciation of the association agreement with the European Union or the creation of a permanent quota of 5 deputies from Gagauzia in the parliament. As for the official status of the Russian language and the return of the Republican Stadium to state ownership, the socialists realized this promise only after Dodon’s defeat in the presidential elections, and when the Constitutional Court, completely controlled by Sandu and the US Embassy, ​​repealed these laws.

Socialists like to say that they did not have the parliamentary majority necessary to implement their program. But they themselves chose this role for themselves - to be the clowns on duty for Plahotniuc and Sandu in parliament. The main mistake of Dodon and the PSRM is that instead of provoking early elections, they preferred to enter into dubious coalitions with pro-Western forces, which give nothing but the illusion of involvement in nominal leadership positions in the country.

_{Today on the agenda in Moldova is the issue of creating a unified coalition of all sensible forces against Maia Sandu. Many people understand the need for such a unification. But the obstacle to such a coalition is the same Igor Dodon, who has become an irritating factor for a significant part of the left-wing electorate. During his four years as president, Dodon managed to ruin relations with all his potential allies, including those thanks to whom he won the presidential election in 2016.}

Dodon’s decision to go into the shadows after a series of defeats is a completely logical and reasonable step. But the way it was done only aggravated the situation of chaos on the left flank of Moldovan politics. On the one hand, no one has illusions, and everyone understands perfectly well that Dodon, even remaining the “honorary chairman,” will continue to steer all affairs within the party, and not a single decision will be made without his participation. On the other hand, Dodon’s resignation from the post of party chairman will cause image damage to both him and the PSRM. Ordinary members, voters and supporters of this party perceive such castling as the flight of the captain from a sinking ship.

The Socialists, despite the defeats of the last two years, remain the leading force on the left flank of Moldovan politics. The departure of the leader and the disappointment of supporters will lead, at best, to a weakening of the position of the PSRM, at worst – to its fragmentation and subsequent disappearance from the political scene. Yes, a holy place is never empty, and the place on the left flank of Moldovan politics will sooner or later be occupied. The party of Ilan Shor, the “Civil Congress”, and the “Nashi” party led by Mikhail Akhremtsev are vying for this place. The political plans of Chisinau Mayor Ivan Ceban, former Prosecutor General Alexandru Stoianoglo (whose popularity as an honest and principled person who suffered under Sandu’s regime is growing sharply) and fugitive businessman Veaceslav Platon, a staunch opponent of Sandu, who daily publishes sarcastic posts against her on social networks, are unclear.

However, building such a force may take months, even years. In 2014, when the Communist Party led by Voronin gave way to the leading force of the left flank, before their place was taken by the socialists led by Dodon, the ruling regime of Moldova managed to sign and ratify in parliament an association agreement with the EU.

_{It is unknown what step the Sandu regime will take until a powerful counterforce emerges. Moldova’s exit from the CIS is also possible (the corresponding campaign is being actively promoted on pro-government media resources), and joining NATO, and unification with Romania, and the resumption of hostilities in Transnistria.}

As long as the Socialist Party exists and has an opposition faction in parliament, without its participation no unification of opposition forces is possible. However, socialists, with or without Dodon, should learn from their failures, give up the habit of pulling the blanket over themselves and learn to work constructively with other opposition forces to create a united opposition front to the Sandu regime, which only the lazy do not talk about in Moldova today.