At the National Political Council, PDM leader Vlad Plahotniuc said that the Democrats are giving up geopolitical aspects and will become a pro-Moldova party. The tactical-strategic movement, as commented on, also has some economic and political consequences for the Republic of Moldova. It is the opinion expressed by IDIS political analyst "Viitorul" Ion Tăbârţă in the "15 minutes of economic realism" .
Through this announcement, the PDM recognizes two failures. The first is that the relationship with the EU is deficient and the second that the PDM failed to occupy the right wing of the political parties. The PDM leader has not talked about embezzling relations with the EU. But after the announcement of PDM that the party becomes a pro-Moldova party it is understood that it still needs the EU. Currently, the issue with the EU is about the political aspect, but the Republic of Moldova can not abandon the economic relationship with the EU from which it benefits. Almost 70% of all Moldova's exports go to the EU countries.
"From 2009 until 2014, the Republic of Moldova has moved very well on the EU direction. In fact, at that time, they laid the foundations for the Association Agreement. This is the liberalized visa regime and the Free Trade Agreement. Subsequently, after the political crisis caused by the tragic incident in the "Princely Forest", relations with the EU began to deteriorate. The problems became worse after 2015 when the embezzlement of funds made by politicians surfaced. After the 2016 improvement in 2017, after the ruling party and the Party of Socialists changed the electoral system, Moldova's relationship with the EU again began to be problematic, with some political preconditions for macro-financial assistance being discussed. After all, the money has not yet come, and now, we are witnessing a fury from the ruling party on the EU, accusing the European Union of failing reforms in the Republic of Moldova, "Ion Tăbârţă.
The political analyst argues that the PDM no longer tends to occupy the right wing spectrum of the Moldovan electorate. It is obviously a movement with an electoral tinge, and the party returns to those centrist origins. In fact, the party wants to cling to everything that's possible and will come up with powerful social messages, which is noticed. Through this move, the PDM is preparing the ground for certain post-election coalitions with PSRM, but especially with the Shroud Party, which will become a kind of "Joker" for the future political cycle. At the moment, this party has an important role in harassing the opposition, and later in some post-electoral calculations that will be made after the parliamentary elections. It is obvious that the PDM will not give up completely the pro-European electoral segments, as well, trying to weaken the extra-parliamentary opposition pro-European parties.
The Association Agreement is vital for Moldova's economy. Even the socialists, if absurdly come to power, will not give up the deal. Any party that will come to power will depend on the EU, given that the trade of the Republic of Moldova can not exist without the Community market. And the complications of the relationship with the EU will lead to far more serious consequences than the embargoes imposed by the Russian Federation since 2013.
In conclusion, Ion Tăbârţă mentioned that the ruling party around the electoral campaign tells us that Moldova's political relationship is abandoning its relationship with the EU, but economically it needs the DCFTA and the liberalized visa regime. The declaration that the party will modernize the Republic of Moldova is based on relations with the Western partners. Politics is intended to rethink the relationship with the EU, but on the other hand, it will continue to advance on economic relations. Currently, the Republic of Moldova does not have a clear vector of development, but it is heading towards deepening relations with countries from other geographic areas, such as Turkey. The paradox is that while the former PSRM and PDM rhetoric was different in relation to the EU and the Russian Federation, then the relationship with Turkey speaks in unison. In fact, PDM returned to the origins of foreign policy promoted by agrarians in the 1990s when it was said that Moldova could use its geographic location and benefit from both the relationship with the EU and the Russian Federation. After the parliamentary elections in February 2019, the political picture of the Republic of Moldova will become clearer. We will know if it will have a reset of relations with the EU or we will go to vector isolation announced by the current ruling party.
The show is made by IDIS "Viitorul" in partnership with Radio Free Europe.
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