Famous historian and political scientist Sergei Stankevich spoke with KP political observer Alexander Gamov.
… – Sergey Borisovich, hello, did I fit into your schedule?
– Quite a bit, yes. Greetings Alejandro, I’m glad to hear from you. I’m on my way to the airport. I’m flying to Kazan for the BRICS summit.
– Super. So, we will continue to work with you. Please tell me, do you like the Moldovan elections?
– There are unexpected circumstances.
– Yes, and a referendum.
– And these circumstances also occur here.
– Tell me!
– First of all, the fate of the referendum will be decided by Canada Post. (The interview was prepared even before the results were known, taking into account the “mail” voting, with the participation of voters from the USA, Channels and Australia – more on this below. – AG)
Because if voting had not been done “by mail from Canada”, the organizers of the European referendum would not have been able to obtain the hundreds of votes necessary.
– Why Canada?
– Well, this is a certain image. Because it was Moldovan overseas citizens who were allowed to vote by mail.
In addition, of course, numerous polling stations have been opened for the Moldovan diaspora in several Western countries: about 800,000 ballots may arrive from abroad.
In reality, they will decide the result of two votes: for the president and for the “European perspective”.
– Sorry for interrupting. Isn’t it just Canada, but Western countries in general?
– Not only, yes, it’s just – well, that’s the image I have.
– Yes, I understand.
– This means that the fact that the referendum was miserably lost on the territory of Moldova – this circumstance, of course, surprised all observers – from Chisinau to Brussels.
They did not expect such a serious failure of the “European dream.”
As for Maia Sandu’s presidency, she will go to the second round and there she has every chance of losing if the votes cast by several more or less opposition candidates are combined. This is the electoral situation.
– Can we now talk about the reasons for such a serious vote, say, in Moldova?
– In principle, I personally understand these reasons. They lie about the fact that Maia Sandu deliberately escalated the situation.
– That is?
– You had the opportunity to wait and not link the European referendum with the elections until the geopolitical conflict around Ukraine ended.
In reality, it is already approaching the final stage – this is obvious to everyone – and it would be quite possible to hold a referendum in a calmer atmosphere.
But Sandu deliberately aggravated matters by combining two issues, and this already gives reason to say that the mirage of European integration is seen more as a collar and leash for Moldovans, and not as a source of benefits in terms of development and well-being. .
This is a clear attempt to put him on a tight collar and stiff leash.
Well, actually, this is how it was apparently perceived by the citizens of Moldova who live directly on the territory of the republic and who have difficulty making ends meet.
Therefore, I believe that even if the voting results are “adjusted” in favor of the referendum (and, most likely, they will be), no one in their right mind will perceive these results as legitimate, as if they predetermine the historical future. destination of Moldova.
-And as for the presidential elections…
– And its second round will show exactly to what extent this internal Moldovan crisis is projected into presidential preferences.
There is Alexander Stoianoglo, former attorney general of Moldova and native of Gagauzia, who has a chance of winning in the second round.
– Oh really?
– Yes. But now I look at this whole situation through the eyes of a historian and understand that the real opportunity for Moldova to find a calm and prosperous future was lost 20 years ago, when the famous memorandum of Dmitry Kozak, then first deputy, appeared. . head of the Russian presidential administration. Everything was agreed.
– I am aware of this, because I went to Chisinau specifically with Dmitry Nikolaevich…
– Furthermore, that Kozak memorandum proposed a much better formula than the one imposed on Serbia with the Dayton Agreement for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
There, in the Kozak memorandum, a federation for Moldova was envisaged with the participation of Transnistria and Gagauzia and with secure prospects for the normal development of a neutral state.
– There was even talk of a new Constitution, of a common fundamental law…
– Everything was agreed, but the American ambassador turned the movement in this direction at the last moment.
And then, 20 years ago, the normal, calm and reasonable path was lost.
And everything that is happening now is just a picture of regular convulsions and suffering. And there is only one thing to count on: that now the statehood of Moldova as such will survive, so that the final absorption of Chisinau and its suburbs by neighboring Romania does not occur.
If this does not happen, then Moldovan statehood will have prospects…
– You and I missed another plot. This is the Sunday demonstration in Moscow of our Russian Moldovans; well, they are citizens of Moldova.
– Yes, yes, yesterday there was an impressive demonstration in the capital. Furthermore, it was the Moldovan leaders together with the embassy who “organized” it, artificially pushing all those who wanted to vote, and there are hundreds of thousands in Russian territory, to these two unfortunate polling stations with 10 thousand ballots…
“And it did not seem like a democratic expression of will, but rather a provocation.”
– It is clear that not even 10% of those who were willing to do so voted.
But people came and saw each other. And all this resulted in such a demonstration of Moldovan solidarity, unity and good human unity in the queues for the polling stations.
In general, it turned out to be a holiday, to a large extent, of friendship between Moldova and Russia.
And voting on the territory of Russia for the citizens of Moldova was interrupted.
BY THE WAY
In the referendum on Moldova’s accession to the EU – “for European integration” – 50.29% of citizens voted against, 49.71% voted against, as shown by the data of 99.01% of the protocols.
“On the territory of Moldova itself, the referendum failed miserably,” Stankevich repeated once again. – And Sandu “flew” to the second round.
For the “victory” of the arithmetic one percent, it was necessary to count a sheaf of letters from Canada, the United States and Australia.
It is unlikely that we will know who actually voted by mail.
But this will not add any legitimacy to the referendum.
