The next political crisis in Moldova ended with the formation of a technocratic government led by Prime Minister Ion Kiku, who took the oath of office on November 14. The ceremony was attended by President of the Republic Igor Dodon and Speaker of the Parliament Zinaida Grechany.
The new composition of the Cabinet by a majority vote was approved by the Parliament of Moldova, approving the post of Prime Minister of the former Minister of Finance, Ion Kiku, whose candidacy was proposed by Dodon. 62 out of 101 deputies voted “for”: the factions of the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM) and the opposition Democratic Party voted in support of the new government. Members of the pro-European ACUM bloc, which had previously been in a coalition with the socialists, opposed.
In Moldova, as a parliamentary republic, the president has limited powers, although he can recommend a candidate for the post of prime minister. However, the final decision on the composition of the government is made by parliamentary vote. Since 2000, deputies have also elected the president of the country, but in 2016, Moldova returned to the practice of electing the head of state through universal suffrage.
- Moldovan President Igor Dodon during a meeting with Ion Kiku
- © dodon_igor
Political turn
The previous government, led by Maya Sandu, was dismissed by parliament on November 12. This was a response of lawmakers to the decision of the Prime Minister to change the procedure for appointing the country's prosecutor general. The Socialist Party of Moldova, a member of the ruling coalition with the Sandu block ACUM (“Now”), regarded this intention of the head of the Cabinet as a step that violates not only the law, but also the terms of the coalition agreement between ACUM and the socialists, and put forward a vote of no confidence.
“We are witnessing a political crisis, and urgent measures must be taken so that it does not become socio-economic. I consider it vital that the current parliamentary majority go further together and propose a new candidate for the premiere, which I will immediately approve, ”Dodon said then.
On November 13, the president invited parliamentary factions to discuss possible solutions to the government crisis. The Socialist Party was ready to consider candidates from ACUM, with the exception of the resigned Sandu.
These two political forces hold diametrically opposed views on many key issues. So, in foreign policy, the socialists advocate the need to build constructive relations with Russia, while at ACUM they consider the integration of Moldova into the EU as a priority.
However, the political forces had to unite in a coalition to withstand the pressure of the Democratic Party led by oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc. Following the results of the elections held in February 2019, the most votes were received by the socialists, the pro-European ACUM bloc and the Democratic Party. None of them were able to achieve an overwhelming advantage, although formally the most seats in parliament were received by the socialists - 35.
After that, for three months the parties could not agree on a coalition. Only at the beginning of June was a tactical alliance announced, and Maya Sandu was appointed prime minister.
- Maya Sandu
- © GuvernulRepubliciiMoldova
The previous government, led by Democrat Pavel Filip, refused to resign. Instead, the Democratic Party tried to dissolve parliament and call early elections. To this end, the constitutional court, once again loyal to the party of Plahotniuc, once again blocked the presidential powers of Igor Dodon and transferred them to the Prime Minister.
Such a demarche of democrats outraged everyone in the country, Vladimir Plahotniuc and the top of the Democratic Party had to hastily leave Moldova, and the Constitutional Court’s decree on the illegality of appointing Sandu to the post of prime minister was annulled.
However, experts say that the decision of the Democratic Party to vote for the candidacy proposed by the socialists does not mean that these long-standing political opponents now form a coalition.
As Democrat leader Pavel Filip stated the other day, the party is ready to support the government of the socialists if they guarantee the preservation of the social programs launched at the time by the Democratic Party, and will also comply with the provisions of the Association Agreement with the EU.
“In this case, we will support the government, and it doesn’t matter, President Dodon or the ACUM bloc put forward it,” said Philip.
However, these requirements are nothing fundamentally new, since the former partners of the Socialist Party in the coalition from the ACUM bloc insisted on European integration, analysts point out. As Maya Sandu previously stated, cooperation with Washington and accession to the EU was a priority for her government.
Government of technocrats
The new Prime Minister of Moldova, Ion Kiku, has been working as an adviser to Igor Dodon since July 2019. Prior to that, he was the Minister of Finance of the Republic, and from 2009 to 2017 he held positions in the Ministry of Finance, ECORYS and the World Bank.
Speaking to parliamentarians on November 14, Kiku asked the deputies for a vote of confidence in the formation of the Cabinet, explaining that the government would only work until the presidential elections scheduled for autumn 2020.
“I thank you for nominating me and for understanding how important it is to appoint a government. Moldova is on the verge of winter and is completely unprepared for it. There is no draft budget, there is nothing. The irresponsible and unreasonable resignation of qualified personnel has paralyzed the activities of state institutions. If the political crisis of recent days drags on, it can lead to serious consequences, ”Kiku said from the rostrum of the parliament.
According to him, he formed his team of technocrats in literally hours. The politician promised that he would actively consult with elected representatives and civil society in his work in order to get the republic out of the crisis.
The post of Deputy Prime Minister was received by the former Head of the Tax Service, Sergey Pushkuts, who was also headed by the Ministry of Finance. The portfolio of the Minister of Economy and Infrastructure was received by the former state secretary of this department Anatoly Usaty.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs was headed by Pavel Voiku - in the Cabinet of Sandu, he led the defense department. The post of Minister of Justice went to a lawyer, an adviser to the speaker of parliament, Fadey Nagachevsky. The new Foreign Minister of Moldova, Aureliu Chokoi, was formerly ambassador to the United States, Germany and China, and also served as presidential adviser on defense and national security issues.
The Ministry of Education was headed by another adviser to Igor Dodon - Cornelius Popovich. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection will also be led by a former presidential adviser, Viorik Dumbrevianu.
Viktor Gaychuk, who previously held the post of head of the defense department, returned to the chair of the Minister of Defense.
- Kishinev
- © Wikimedia Commons
At the same time, not one of the representatives of the Democratic Party was included in the new Cabinet, experts say.
“Therefore, the Democratic Party will not be able to influence the government in the foreseeable future, not to mention the fact that Vladimir Plahotniuc still cannot return to the country because he is wanted,” explained Vladimir Bukarsky, head of the Izborsk Club of Moldova, RT.
In turn, the director of the Institute for Applied Political Studies Grigory Dobromelov noted that support from the Democratic Party does not mean the emergence of a new political alliance.
“The party of power in Moldova usually quickly loses popularity. Therefore, the opponents of the socialists considered it possible for themselves to admit them to power so that during the next election campaign they would be accused of all problems and failures, ”the expert said.
“Pragmatic compromise”
Analysts say that the Moldovan socialists first gained full power, and now Igor Dodon has a chance to show what he and his party are capable of.
“Having finally received a loyal government, with full power, the president can take steps towards rapprochement with Russia, which he has talked about many times before,” Dobromelov said.
In his opinion, the formally declared course towards European integration will not be an obstacle, since Chisinau has long said that he wants to cooperate not only with the EU, but also with the Eurasian Union.
A similar point of view is shared by Vladimir Bukarsky. According to the expert, the formation of a new government was the result of a “pragmatic compromise” among politicians who understood the need to urgently address the country's urgent problems.
“Dodon first received a government loyal to his course. If the previous cabinet, which included representatives of the ACUM bloc, was a forced compromise, then the current government will constructively interact with the president, ”the expert said.
According to Bukarsky, Moldova now has a “good chance of rapprochement with Russia” on issues such as the return of Moldovan products to the Russian market, the improvement of conditions for labor migrants, and the return of Russian television broadcasts to Moldova.
“Now many issues of bilateral relations can find a solution in the near future,” the expert summed up.