OP DEPUTY CHAIRMAN MAINTAINS THAT PSRM AND IGOR DODON PARASITIZE ON RENATO USATII’S RATING

Deputy Chairman of the Partidul Nostru (Our Party) Dumitru Ciubasenco, a prominent Moldovan journalist and publisher in the recent past, is convinced that the Party of Socialists and its de-facto leader, President Igor Dodon are parasitizing on the popularity rating of Our Party Chairman Renato Usatii.

Ciubasenco said on the local television on Monday night that everything began in November 2014, when a political party, whose electoral list was headed by Renato Usatii, was de-registered all of a sudden three days before the parliamentary election.

“The main beneficiary of that step was the Party of Socialists of Igor Dodon. In the presidential election year of 2016 some amendments were introduced into the Constitution, but the governing coalition did not suppress the age qualification [40] for presidential candidates, and Igor Dodon [41] again became the main beneficiary of the situation because Renato Usatii [38], his main rival in the left-centrist segment, remained outside the electoral race. By the way, yet in April 2016 Renato Usatii’ popularity ratings were higher than those of Dodon’s”, reminded Dumitru Ciubasenco.

He believes that in the current situation, Igor Dodon will not lift a finger to help Usatii resolve the problem of the multitude of false, invented criminal litigations started against the opposition politician, due to which Renato Usatii has bee hiding in Moscow since August 2016.

“President Dodon maintains that he has no authority to pardon anybody or interfere into justice. But he could well back Usatii by means of the media because Dodon is a media magnate – approximately same as Vlad Plahotniuc. Dodon could render legal assistance, make some statements, and all this could influence the public opinion. Well, he could even go to the airport to meet Usatii personally. Who would dare arrest an opposition politician in the presence of the president?” said Dumitru Ciubasenco.

According to his estimates, if Renato Usatii comes back home, Dodon’s popularity rating will halve straightaway.

“Presently Igor Dodon and his Party of Socialists have a rating of up to 40%, but this is thanks to parasitizing. If Usatii returns to Moldova, a half of Dodon’s rating will go to back to him. This is kind of a larceny: some people steal billions, other ones steal airports, but some steal popularity ratings from their political opponents”, said the OP Deputy Chairman.

Dumitru Ciubasenco is convinced that oligarch Vlad Plahotniuc and President Igor Dodon have set a goal to annihilate Our Party and its leader.

“Plahotniuc is afraid of Renato Usatii, while the Socialists hope to win a majority at the next parliamentary election. For this, they need to cleanse the left-centrist segment from rivals, the main of whom is Our Party”, said Dumitru Ciubasenco.