European Forum

Moldovan Communists reject dialogue with democratic coalition

The Moldovan Alliance for European Integration (AEI) – a democratic coalition consisting of the Democratic Party (DP), the Liberal Party (LP), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Moldova Noastra Alliance (AMN) – officially invited the (for now) ruling Communist Party (CP) to a dialogue on the 21st of August. After President Voronin ignored LP leader Vlat Filat’s attempt to give him the written invitation, the CP on the next day officially rejected the invitation.

No-show

The AEI leaders still waited fruitlessly for the Communist representatives on August 22nd at the appointed time, in case the latter would change their minds. However, the Communists were a no-show. Subsequently, the democratic parties’ leaders called the Communists’ behaviour ‘irresponsible towards the four democratic parties, towards the voters and towards the situation in which the country finds itself after eight years of Communist ruling’, according to AMN leader Seraphim Urekyan. LP leader Mikhai Gimpu added that the Communists are thinking about saving their own party instead of saving the country from its difficult situation, and DP leader Marian Lupu concluded that ‘if it proves impossible to come out of this dead-end, the situation will deteriorate, which, in that case, will be the responsibility of those who didn’t show up for the discussion’.

Counter plan

Instead, at a Communists Party meeting on August 24th the party decided to attempt to create a left-wing broad coalition of its own. Officials informed of plans to approach separate parties, and not the Alliance for European Integration (AEI) as a whole. Furthermore, different sources stated that the party would be willing to support DP leader Marian Lupu’s candidacy for President in the context of the mentioned broad left-wing coalition, mainly including the Communist Party and the Democratic Party.

Mr Lupu commented by saying that he will not be involved in any ‘haggling’ with the Communists, saying it is simply an attempt to harm the AEI. Lupu continued: ‘the CP is probably assuming a widely disseminated idea that Lupu wants to be President at any costs, and they’re trying to play that card. But I repeat that the DP and myself have never followed the obsessive idea to become head of state’. He stressed that he consciously decided to participate in the formation of the AEI and will be acting based on the coalition’s decisions.

In the meantime, on August 25th the CP began discussions for the formation of their left-centrist coalition. CP MP Victor Stepanyuk said to reporters that it’s ‘not about negotiations but about separate contacts’. He refused to say which parties or politicians would be approached, but some media believe that it concerns the Democratic Party.

Sources: Azi.md; Photo: Unimedia