Weekend Roundup!
A look at a very busy weekend in Chisinau
Welcome back to Moldova Matters! Today we’re doing something a bit different since the news of the past weekend was enough to justify an update all by itself. We will go through the major stories of the last few days and the followup with a Weekly Roundup scheduled for this weekend as normal. In case you missed it, check out last week’s roundup as many of the topics covered here are discussed and given context there.
Moldova and Ukraine on the way to the EU
On June 17th, Moldova and Ukraine were recommended “Candidate Status” as potential EU members by the European Commission. This is a historic step in Moldova’s long journey towards being a full member of the European family.
Commenting on the situation, President Ursula von der Leyen of the European Comission said the following:
“We also recommend granting candidate status to Moldova, realizing that the country will carry out reforms. Moldova is on a real pro-European path, carrying out reforms and fighting corruption. The country still has a long way to go. But we think she has the potential to meet the criteria,”
Speaking for the Government, Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu said:
“This is a new historic day for our path to the EU. (…) Together with the team of the president, government and parliament, we are determined to promote the reforms that our citizens are waiting for. We are aware that this will be a difficult process, but we will strive to achieve a clear goal - the development and modernization of Moldova and accession to the EU,”
Following this announcement, on June 18th, Moldova and Romania held a historic joint parliamentary session between the deputies of both nation’s parliaments. The session, first of its kind in Moldova’s history, was held in Chisinau. The outcome of the meeting was a joint declaration in which Romania pledged to support Moldova’s European path, democracy reforms, and anti-corruption efforts. The declaration also pledged bilateral projects in the areas of energy, transportation and infrastructure. It read (in part):
“The document notes the firm commitment of the Moldovan authorities to the implementation of reforms in key areas, including justice, the fight against corruption and strengthening the rule of law. The joint declaration also states that Romania will continue to support Moldova's efforts to obtain EU candidate status. In addition, the Romanian authorities will help implement EU-compliant standards and regulations, especially in agriculture, necessary to improve the competitiveness of the Moldovan economy.”
Moldovan government officials and diplomats remain busy traveling and making calls to firm up support in EU member countries for the nation’s proposed candidate status. Reporting this week, claiming to have seen leaked draft documents, claims that the European Council will approve candidate status for Moldova and Ukraine on June 23rd without reservations.
If this reporting is correct, then Moldova will be on a clear, if long and arduous, path towards EU membership by the end of the week.
Chisinau Pride Parade
Many worried that the combination of the annual Pride parade, mysterious concert with Russian artists, and Shor protests would prove a volatile mix this past weekend with lots of diametrically opposed groups all clogging the streets of central Chisinau. We’ll take these events one by one starting with Pride.
Sunday’s Pride march organized by GenderDoc-M was the largest and most successful in Moldovan history. The march contrasted sharply with past years which were somber, determined marches. The year the event actually had the feel of a celebration. Activists, LGBTQ+ persons, allies, foreign Ambassadors and even 6 Moldovan Members of Parliament marched with flags flying to the accompanying sounds of a drum band playing the whole way. In the largest march to date around 500 persons joined the mixed protest-celebration to stand up for equal rights.
In past years, the success of the march is often measured in blocks. If the planned route envisioned 12 blocks then the question was “how far can marches get before counterprotestors make conditions so dangerous that the police force an evacuation by bus?”This year, marchers continued through the whole route across the city center and ended in a park known as a clandestine meeting place of the LGBTQ+ community during the Soviet times. No protestors were hit by thrown eggs or rocks and everyone was able to walk home safely at the conclusion of the event.
Polls have showed around a 20% increase in tolerance of gay rights in Chisinau over the last 3 years. But the primary reason for the success of the march was the careful organization and planning of GenderDoc-M and the work of the police. 2210 officers of the Minister of Internal Affairs were required to provide safe conditions for the march. Ahead of the marchers police marched in riot gear more than 6 lines deep in a phalanx like formation flanked by armored vans. On the sides of the march police marched 2 abreast in tight formation cycling forward and backwards to secure intersections ahead of the march against counterprotestors. Behind the march another 6 or so lines of police brought up the rear. So while this year’s event was consider a major success, it is clear that Moldova has a long way to go for equal rights.
Counterprotests along the march line were minimal with a few agitators yelling abuse, largely drowned out by the marchers and the drums. A few kilometers away a group organized a counter demonstration of clergy and anti-gay activists who gave speeches and heckled journalists. In some cases they became violent with journalists causing the police to intervene. But in most cases this counterprotest allowed people to say their piece while not choosing to directly confront the Pride marchers.
Concert? Protest? Shor?
As we discussed in the last Weekly Roundup a series of strange events were also scheduled on Sunday for the central square in Chisinau. Firstly, the Shor Party organized a protest against the government at 5 pm. But the protest was supposedly not by the Shor party but under a new political name and branding “New Life.” Then Vyacheslav Valko, “activist” and associate of wanted oligarch Vyacheslav Platon announced a concert with Russian Rapper Morgenshtern in the same location from 3 pm - 10 pm. Supposedly this free concert with a massive Russian artist was paid for by a “nice woman in Canada.”
Immediately, people smelled a rat. On social media people began posting that this was an attempt by the Shor party to use a major rap star to draw people into an anti-government protest by accident. One day before the concert, rapper Morgenshtern agreed, posting a video saying he would not be coming and that the event "smells like rot." He apologized to fans, said he would love to come back for a real, non-political concert soon, and told everyone to stay away from whatever event unfolded in the square. Amazingly, Vlako responded immediately announcing that Russian artists Philip Kirkorov, DAVA, Ivan Dimitrenko and Yegor Creed, would all be playing instead. Philip Kirkorov alone is a far bigger star in Russia than Morgenshtern and the fact that he flew into Chisinau on a moment’s notice raised further eyebrows.
The comedy of errors(?) that followed turned the whole affair into a shambles.
First, when Valko and the event organizers arrived to erect the stage they were stopped by the police. Initially the police gave no reason that they would not allow the stage to be constructed. Later, they claimed that the documents assuring the safety of the equipment were not in order. Mr. Valko claimed that all the documents were in fact in order and that the police were lying. He then drew in Shor Party leader Marina Tauber who frantically tried to help him coordinate with the police to get the stage set up. Rather than throw in the towel the two of them worked for hours jumping through an ever more complicated set of hoops with document checks, bomb sniffing dogs, and questions from journalists who were keenly interested in the Shor Party’s affiliation with this concert. Sticking to previous claims, Tauber insisted that the Shor party had absolutely nothing to do with Valko’s concert and that she only wanted to help. Also, she noted that Philip Kirkorov is a friend of Ilan Shor so that’s why she came. Finally, shortly before the concert was due to start and without a stage, without the police blocking the road, and without performers, they canceled the show. The Russian musical artists meanwhile were detained for a time at the Chisinau airport with little explanation and then put on a plane back to the Russian Federation.
In spite of the fiasco of the concert, the Shor Party continued to hold their rally against the government demanding early elections.
Mr. Valko further perplexed journalists by claiming that he wanted to tell the real story of what happened at this doomed concert… but that he would only talk to an outlet that pays him 10,000 euros. No one took him up on it.
The Government Responds
Commenting on the strange events of the concert, Prime Minister Gavrilita answered evasively noting the right to protest, the fact of holding of the protest itself, but implying that the concert had problems with their documents. She also noted that organizers were unable to prove the source of the funds used to organize this star studded concert.
Moving on from the technical aspects of the concert fiasco, the Prime Minister commented more broadly on the situation saying "the thieves have united." This referred to the apparent collaboration of Vyacheslav Platon, represented by his associate Valko, and Ilan Shor . Both wanted oligarchs appear to have supported this anti-government protest. The Prime Minister addressed this, as well as the fertile ground for political protest amidst rising prices and economic crisis saying:
“Now they are trying to create a movement aimed at destabilization. Therefore, I urge citizens not to succumb to manipulation and not allow themselves to be used in this difficult situation. The government is working on many programs to increase citizens' incomes and help entrepreneurs. It is important that people do not participate in these manifestations for money*. Because in the future, these people want to come to power in order to gain access to public money and continue to plunder the country,”
*for money - this refers to the idea that protestors may have been paid to attend. Certainly someone spent lots of money on buying everyone in the crowd t-shirts and hats, and bussing people in from outside of Chisinau.
So What Happened?
In a way, this concert is a microcosm of Moldova’s entire political struggle of the past year. Forces organized and paid by wanted criminal oligarchs bend, but do not break, the law in order to organize provocative anti-government actions with an eye towards returning to power to plunder the country further. There is likely a criminal aspect to these actions in the area of illegal funding of political movements (aka bags of cash). But the underlying behavior is totally normal - a concert, a protest, a legal gathering. Meanwhile, the government does not have the legal tools to fight these oligarchs in a system that was literally built, brick by brick, by the corrupt for the corrupt. Law enforcement does not have the mechanisms or experience to conduct an illegal finance investigation on the 2 days notice Valko gave everyone.
So what happens? the government finds a gray zone. Delaying rather than denying the concert on process and paperwork questions. Eventually the concert is disrupted and canceled.
There is nothing satisfying about this situation. If the Plahatnuic government used similar tactics to disrupt a pro-democracy protest people would be rightly outraged. At the same time, anyone with eyes or ears can see the public machinations of 2 wanted criminals to recapture the state. Such is the state of affairs in a country desperately needing reform and with a government fighting for the space to do the work amidst constant crisis imposed by foreign interests.
In Conclusion…
What a strange weekend it was. Pride was a success but even in success stands as a reminder of how far Moldova has to come on equal rights. Shor and Platon’s plans for a concert and protest (whatever they were) were thwarted by gray zone delaying tactics. Most importantly, everyone went home safely.
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