Dodon and the Democrats: A Fight For Power

When Igor Dodon became the first Moldovan President in 20 years to be directly elected in late 2016, he vowed to fight against the ruling pro-European Democratic Party and the rampant corruption that has plagued the government in recent years.

A year into his presidency, it’s becoming apparent that Dodon — the leader of the Socialist Party, who is widely regarded as pro-Russia — has become little more than a figurehead, says Vladislav Kulminski, Executive Director of the Moldovan Institute for Strategic Initiatives.

On January 5, at the request of the Democratic Party, the Constitutional Court of Moldova temporarily suspended President Dodon’s powers for the third time in as many months. The first two rulings, in October 2016 and on January 2 this year, were handed down after Dodon refused to approve nominees for state office. The most recent, on January 5, follows the president’s refusal to restrict the broadcast of Russian television in Moldova.

But the Democrat-controlled courts have done more than just allow the ruling party to push through its prefered parliamentary candidates and a law against Russian propaganda. Their recent decisions have also demonstrated Dodon’s lack of power.

Dodon’s direct election as president was aimed at curbing mass protests against the ruling government, which is still recovering from a corruption scandal that saw a billion dollars syphoned out of three of the country’s banks in 2014, Kulminski says.

Kulminski said in his one year of power, Dodon has not only failed to deliver on his election promises but has also started to lose his approval ratings. The recent move by courts to suspend his authority has only served to emphasize his lack of power to bring about changes in Moldova. Dodon has condemned the courts and their ruling.

With parliamentary elections in Moldova coming up in November, Kulminski describes recent events as a “game” to demonstrate “who’s running the show.”

Hromadske spoke to Kulminsky about the power struggle in Chisinau and what it means for this year’s upcoming elections.

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#moldova #eastern_europe #hromadske_international #democracy #elections #igor_dodon

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