Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09CHISINAU626
2009-08-10 15:30:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Chisinau
Cable title:  

COMMUNISTS CONSIDERING PLAN TO LET

Tags:  PGOV PREL KDEM MD 
pdf how-to read a cable
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RR RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSL RUEHSR
DE RUEHCH #0626/01 2221530
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 101530Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY CHISINAU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8273
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CHISINAU 000626 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/UMB

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/10/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM MD
SUBJECT: COMMUNISTS CONSIDERING PLAN TO LET
NON-COMMUNIST COALITION TAKE OVER GOVERNMENT

REF: Chisinau 614

Classified by: Ambassador Asif J. Chaudhry for
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CHISINAU 000626

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/UMB

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/10/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM MD
SUBJECT: COMMUNISTS CONSIDERING PLAN TO LET
NON-COMMUNIST COALITION TAKE OVER GOVERNMENT

REF: Chisinau 614

Classified by: Ambassador Asif J. Chaudhry for
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: The Party of Communists has been
discussing its strategy which will be formalized
in a meeting of the Party Plenum, likely to take
place o/a August 17. Though the decision has not
yet been finalized, the PCRM will likely give the
53-member coalition of four non-Communist parties
the additional eight votes they need in order to
have the 61 required to elect a president. In an
August 7 meeting, President Voronin's inner circle
advisor Oleg Reidman discussed with Pol/Econ Chief
the latest PCRM thinking on how to move forward in
the current political environment, underlining
that it was most important to elect a president
and avoid continued political crisis. By law, the
Parliament must hold its first session within
thirty days of the elections, i.e. by August 28;
Reidman expected that the first Session would be
held on the 28th. End Summary.

Eight PCRM Votes to Support Coalition Candidate
-------------- --


2. (C) In an August 7 meeting, President
Voronin's Economic Advisor Oleg Reidman, who is
also a PCRM MP and member of the party Central
Committee, told Pol/Econ Chief that on August 5,
the PCRM faction of 48 MPs elected to the new
parliament had met in order to discuss their
options. The faction contains those who were
elected on the party list, including some non-
party members, and thus differs significantly from
the Party Central Committee, although it includes
many of the party's key leaders. Reidman said
that since blockading the presidential vote or
opposing the coalition's candidate would leave
Moldova in a state of political crisis that would
require repeat elections in 2010, the group had
decided upon recommending to the Party Plenum a
plan of giving the four-party coalition candidate
the eight votes necessary to elect a new
president.


3. (C) Reidman stressed that the candidate would
have to be a unified candidate, supported by all
four of the non-PCRM parties. The PCRM faction
would not give its eight votes to a candidate if
the non-Communist side did not have full agreement

on its choice. Reidman said that this move would
be coordinated in advance, with eight deputies
designated to provide just the eight votes needed
-- and not one more, he said. Although President
Voronin (Ref A) had suggested that the PCRM might
insist that the joint candidate be a person who
does not belong to any political party, Reidman
said that such a condition had not been ruled out,
but had not decided upon either. Reidman said
that the PCRM is ready to talk to representatives
of the other four parties, but noted that so far,
no one had yet approached them. He understood
that the four parties first needed to finish their
own coalition agreement discussions before being
ready to talk to the PCRM.


4. (C) Reidman said that the approach of giving
eight PCRM votes in support of the coalition's
candidate would have to be formally approved at
the PCRM plenum, which would be scheduled to take
place o/a August 17. There has been some
speculation that the Parliament might meet
immediately after the Constitutional Court
certifies the election results (the Court is
scheduled to meet on August 14, so the
certification could happen that same day),i.e.,
August 17 or 18. However, Voronin still calls the
shots on setting the date for the parliament to
convene, and Reidman said that he thought that the
opening session of the Parliament would not happen
until the very end of the 30-day legal period,
which ends on August 28.


5. (C) Reidman noted that President Voronin would
be leaving for a one-week summer vacation in
Turkey, departing Moldova on August 8. Reidman
also planned to take his holiday while the boss
was away, and expected that many other members of

CHISINAU 00000626 002 OF 002


the government and Parliament would do likewise.
The PCRM would hold its plenum after the
vacation. (Although it was theoretically possible
to schedule the Parliament's first earlier, and
there had been rumors that the first session could
be called for some time in the period before
Independence Day, i.e. August 20-27, August 28 now
seems the most likely day for the opening of
parliament. It is likely that the new Speaker
will be elected on legislative body's opening
day.)

PCRM Has Not Been Contacted by the Coalition Four
-------------- --------------


6. (C) With respect to discussions with the four
parties of the emerging non-Communist alliance,
Reidman's comments paralleled those of Voronin
(Reftel). He said that the PCRM is ready to talk
to representatives of the other four parties, but
that so far, no one had yet approached them. He
understood that the four parties first needed to
finish their own coalition agreement discussions
before being ready to talk to the PCRM.

Comment
--------------


7. (C) The PCRM faction's decision indicates that
many of the Communist party leaders have already
come to grips with the fact the elections have
given the power to the other side. While many
here earlier had a cynical expectation that
President Voronin would make a desperate attempt
to cling to power at all costs, the opposite seems
to be true. Despite the power advantages enjoyed
by the incumbent, it is significant that the PCRM
has not tried to use authoritarian means to stay
in power. Quite the opposite, they recognize the
results of the July 29 elections and acknowledge
their own losses -- and are ready to let their
opponents try to govern through a worsening
economic crisis.


8. (C) Should this scenario come to pass, the
latest round of elections would be a significant
victory for democracy itself, as we are witnessing
the unfolding of a scenario in which the governing
Communist party is recognizing the need to cede
power and go into opposition as a result of the
will of the people as expressed on Election Day.
This is unusual enough in the former Soviet Union,
where it has been street protests and color
revolutions that have produced regime change.


9. (C) If this newly formed coalition succeeds in
putting together a government, this will clearly
be an historic moment of transformation for
Moldova. With the Communists willing to step
aside and let their opponents try their hand at
ruling, it appears we have an opportunity for
significant reform and change. The newly formed
Alliance for European Integration may now have the
opportunity to stand at the helm and try to steer
the ship of Moldova in a European direction. Our
colleagues from the European Union have indicated
to us that they are putting together a significant
package to help the county through the financial
crisis after the new government has taken over.
The USG should also stand ready to mobilize
whatever resources possible within our assistance
program options in order to support a course of
reforms.

CHAUDHRY