The diaspora is looking out for Moldova. I always think of the old song from WWI — How Ya Gonna Keep 'em Down on the Farm (After They've Seen Paree)?— hopefully many of the diaspora will be able to return and develop the country in person, but in the meantime they’re learning more & more about democracy & rule of law in Europe, etc. (And about the opposite in Russia.)
Hey Connie! yes I think there is a lot of that in terms of the diaspora vote. But there's also the fact that people living outside of Moldova are much less subject to Russian propaganda. That matters as well.
This is such good news. Thanks for sharing David. I didn't realize how much I was holding my breath waiting for the results. I see a promising positive approach going forward for Moldova. The diaspora makes a difference and as stated they see a bigger picture. I'm happy they came out to vote in such meaningful numbers. So many similarities to another election coming up. I'm hoping for the same support for those who see a bigger picture and are willing to show up and make a difference. So yes, I am still holding my breath for another couple of days. Feeling very thankful for the link you provide for us so far from a country we have come to love from our time living there. We appreciate you!
Hey, David... Thanks for your Substack on Moldova. I've only found you recently, soon after I discovered Substack... I wish there was a David like you for Romania... or maybe there is and I have yet to find them... By the way, I take it that you managed to learn Romanian (also Russian?), which allows you to follow politics, etc... Anyway, keep up the good work... You're doing a great job. Jos pălăria!
Thanks for the consistently well-written articles, I've been reading your work for three years now. I'm curious what the expectation now is for the parliamentary elections (I believe they're next year?) and what would happen if PAS doesn't gain the majority... could Sandu then be kicked out in a no-confidence vote? I'm not too well-versed in this part of Moldovan politics. Can the diaspora vote in those elections? I recently lived in Moldova for a bit and found out I'm a Moldovan citizen (we moved away when it was still USSR) and now have my Moldovan passport. I've never looked into how I could vote from abroad though. Great to see how the diaspora has come through in these elections. It probably wouldn't have grown to be so large if the former governments weren't so corrupt... now how the tables have turned with their voting power.
Hey Vlad, I'll be writing a lot more about upcoming parliamentary elections and what this election means for that soon. In the meantime you should check out this podcast I did last year that basically lays out the relationship between president and parliament.
So refreshing to see Moldova continue on its westward, European path... And so disheartening and downright horrific to see the results of the election here in the States... it's an utter disaster...
Hi Nick, yes I wonder about this as well. Personally I think it is the main story of the election and one of the most salient factors in the campaign. But it will be interesting to see what work is done in the future about attempting to quantify it and estimate the specific impact. This may be possible for concrete actions such as vote buying. It seems much harder in terms of propaganda and narratives. These often work in an "inception" kind of way and people don't realize that a factor driving their vote was moved via Russian media.
I was also wondering if they had any plans for a situation like Sandu losing narrowly, where the obvious inference would be that Russian interference had succeeded. Rejecting votes from compromised polling stations, that sort of thing. I suspect they won't want those plans revealed so Russia can't plan for them.
But I also saw the head of MI5 at the time of the Brexit referendum state categorically that Russian meddling had ZERO detectable effect on that. which surprised me a lot.
The diaspora is looking out for Moldova. I always think of the old song from WWI — How Ya Gonna Keep 'em Down on the Farm (After They've Seen Paree)?— hopefully many of the diaspora will be able to return and develop the country in person, but in the meantime they’re learning more & more about democracy & rule of law in Europe, etc. (And about the opposite in Russia.)
Hey Connie! yes I think there is a lot of that in terms of the diaspora vote. But there's also the fact that people living outside of Moldova are much less subject to Russian propaganda. That matters as well.
This is such good news. Thanks for sharing David. I didn't realize how much I was holding my breath waiting for the results. I see a promising positive approach going forward for Moldova. The diaspora makes a difference and as stated they see a bigger picture. I'm happy they came out to vote in such meaningful numbers. So many similarities to another election coming up. I'm hoping for the same support for those who see a bigger picture and are willing to show up and make a difference. So yes, I am still holding my breath for another couple of days. Feeling very thankful for the link you provide for us so far from a country we have come to love from our time living there. We appreciate you!
Hey, David... Thanks for your Substack on Moldova. I've only found you recently, soon after I discovered Substack... I wish there was a David like you for Romania... or maybe there is and I have yet to find them... By the way, I take it that you managed to learn Romanian (also Russian?), which allows you to follow politics, etc... Anyway, keep up the good work... You're doing a great job. Jos pălăria!
Hi Ian! Thanks for writing and the kind words. I don't know of any similar effort on Romania but I would for sure read it if there was one :)
I speak Russian and some Romanian (I'm working on it).
Cheers!
Congratulations Moldova, you came through!
Thanks David
Thanks for the consistently well-written articles, I've been reading your work for three years now. I'm curious what the expectation now is for the parliamentary elections (I believe they're next year?) and what would happen if PAS doesn't gain the majority... could Sandu then be kicked out in a no-confidence vote? I'm not too well-versed in this part of Moldovan politics. Can the diaspora vote in those elections? I recently lived in Moldova for a bit and found out I'm a Moldovan citizen (we moved away when it was still USSR) and now have my Moldovan passport. I've never looked into how I could vote from abroad though. Great to see how the diaspora has come through in these elections. It probably wouldn't have grown to be so large if the former governments weren't so corrupt... now how the tables have turned with their voting power.
Hey Vlad, I'll be writing a lot more about upcoming parliamentary elections and what this election means for that soon. In the meantime you should check out this podcast I did last year that basically lays out the relationship between president and parliament.
https://moldovamatters.substack.com/p/episode-2-the-president-government
In terms of voting in the future, check out this site for information about how you can vote abroad.
https://www.voteaza.md
So refreshing to see Moldova continue on its westward, European path... And so disheartening and downright horrific to see the results of the election here in the States... it's an utter disaster...
I'm hoping at some point we can learn approximately how big a difference Russian interference made...
Hi Nick, yes I wonder about this as well. Personally I think it is the main story of the election and one of the most salient factors in the campaign. But it will be interesting to see what work is done in the future about attempting to quantify it and estimate the specific impact. This may be possible for concrete actions such as vote buying. It seems much harder in terms of propaganda and narratives. These often work in an "inception" kind of way and people don't realize that a factor driving their vote was moved via Russian media.
We'll see what studies come out down the road.
Yes indeed.
I was also wondering if they had any plans for a situation like Sandu losing narrowly, where the obvious inference would be that Russian interference had succeeded. Rejecting votes from compromised polling stations, that sort of thing. I suspect they won't want those plans revealed so Russia can't plan for them.
But I also saw the head of MI5 at the time of the Brexit referendum state categorically that Russian meddling had ZERO detectable effect on that. which surprised me a lot.