EXPERTS AND POLITICIANS OFFER DIFFERING OPINIONS ON DODON'S SUSPENSION

Moldovan political scientists and politicians are expressing dissenting opinions about a new 'temporary removal from power' of President Igor Dodon by decision of the Constitutional Court.

MP Vlad Batrincea, Chairman of the parliamentary Socialist faction, having 24 mandates in the 101-member legislative forum, stated e.g. that the Constitutional Court is arresting the plenary powers of the President "for whom more citizens voted than for the whole Parliament".

"The incumbent [DP-led] non-legitimate parliamentary majority, for whom nobody has voted [at the November 30, 2014 elections, the Democratic Party won 10 seats in the Parliament, but now they have 53.], is suspending the President for whom more citizens voted than for the whole Parliament. In this habitual job, the obedient Constitutional Court does not even consider the stance of the legitimate head of state, and just attends upon the parliamentary majority", stated the Socialist.

Ruslan Shevchenko, Doctor of History, remarked that the systematic suspending of the President has become a convenient and time-tested practice of treating the head of state when Dodon refuses to appoint DP-selected ministers and when this can cause a paralysis of state power.

"Exactly a paralysis of the executive and then of the legislative power can lead to a snap parliamentary election, which Dodon has declared as his main objective. But the Democratic Party shall not let a snap election happen. Plahotniuc and other DP representatives have stated many a time that a snap election would be a violation of their commitments before the West. That's why the Democrats have designed a method how to show Dodon and his supporters who the real master of the country is, but also to prove to foreign partners that the DP shall necessarily meet the commitments it has undertaken", said the expert.

Ruslan Shevchenko believes that yet one more objective of the incumbent authorities is to demonstrate to the Socialist electorate the entire impotence of the Socialists, despite their being the nation's main opposition force.

"The entire country saw once again that really nothing depends on the President. The West can now relax and be sure that the DP will hold the parliamentary election not later than on March 1, 2019. If the Party of Socialists (PSRM) fails to win a crucial majority at the election, this will mean a crushing blow on the Left political segment. In a perspective, this may lead to its complete defeat and to its subsequent marginalization. And this is a guarantee that the Right forces will be ruling Moldova yet very long. This is precisely the Democratic Party's main objective, and the DP has already achieved much on its way to this goal. As for the today's suspension of Dodon, it is just a scheduled episode in a long chain of events", the expert said to Infotag.

Businessman Viorel Topa, hiding abroad from the Moldovan justice, wrote in the social networks that "Dodon has been suspended according to scenario and without surprises".

"He was appointed to this role from the Global Business Center [the headquarters of Democratic Party leader Vlad Plahotniuc, the 'executive coordinator' of the ruling coalition in Moldova]. The circle of Dodon's duties includes the organization of evening parties, holidays and karaoke sessions, the dissemination of promises, and occasionally - his temporary removals from official duties", presumes Viorel Topa, a prominent Moldovan banker in the recent past.

He believes that these developments can be named a theater play called "The President is against, but circumstances are above his powers".

"The presidential plenary powers are being interpreted by a judiciary instance called Constitutional Court, which can be regarded as such only by a quirk of fate. The Dodon's electorate do not wish to recollect that it was Dodon who was approving the appointment of prosecutors and judges, and now he unexpectedly stood up against the appointment of a minister of agriculture. But why hasn't Dodon addressed international organizations for investigation into the theft of a billion dollars from Moldovan banks or into the origin of the villas in Switzerland, France and Romania belonging to a well-known Moldovan oligarch?" wondered Viorel Topa.