President Dodon „denuded beautifully” after 100 days in Office
Igor Dodon presents today its progress report on the first 100 days as President of the Republic of Moldova. 22 pages containing press releases, inserted on the presidency website, are designed to give the impression that Dodon would be the most active head of state, whom the Moldovans have ever had. But the activism of the former head of PSRM is reduced currently only to a number of initiatives destined to fail, plus a number of noisy actions, which are aside of president's constitutional powers. To this record is added, of course, the paved paths to the Russian Federation.
So if we were to review the official visits of President Dodon, we remember him, without hesitation, alongside with Vladimir Putin. He went twice there, last time press wrote that Dodon stood four hours in the "tsar's" waiting room. He was once and in Brussels, but without taking with him the loyalty and the diplomacy, forgotten, perhaps, in the suitcase that went to Moscow. In discussions with the EU top officials, Dodon defied the European path taken by Moldova and uttered threats on the left and on the right on cancellation of the Association Agreement. A first of the last eight years was the visit to Tiraspol, where the president (of a country, whatever he says, sovereign) congratulated his "counterpart" (the leader of a handful of separatists) with the victory in elections.
Another two visits abroad were, in fact, some holidays, which, considering the proximity to the time of enthronement as the new head of state, takes you without wanting to think that the new obligations is overwhelming Dodon a bit who, naturally, feels the need lie down and it is his right and business - would say his spokesman - if he goes, for this purpose, in Sochi to ski, or as the second time to wander in the luxury hotels in Italy. As the old saying say: "What goes around, comes around".
In Romania, predictably, he did not go and the chances are small that he will ever get there: he is not invited and, frankly, no one even expects him.
For some time now, Igor Dodon has started to act as a negotiator. In the spirit of Turkish bazaars, the president negotiates with the government any signature put on any document that is blocking the natural circuit of a political decision. He has negotiated the leadership of MoldovaGaz, the appointment of 10 ambassadors. He negotiated and the promotion of some judges about whom he said that they were "young and with a dubious past." Most likely, he will negotiate and the uninominal vote which, meanwhile, will become a mixed one. We note, however, that the negotiations are bearing fruit only if it's about people and initiatives promoted mainly by PD: Ghimpu, the poor thing, still remained without a defense minister.
The retrospective of the electoral promises, shows how hollow, in fact, is Dodon's word. He promised to cancel Basescu's citizenship and he did it, although he knew very well: the court will restore it, as it happened. He promised to dismiss Salaru of Defense, but ... Ghimpu did it before that! He promised cancellation of travel bans in Russia and, indeed, he achieved it, though, it's only in his imagination and his advisers, because the institutions in Russia has not yet announced anything about this.
Also in the 100 days since he is President, Igor Dodon celebrated his birthday and received only two cards: one from Alexandr Lukaşenko and the other - although after a couple of good days after the anniversary moment - from Putin and on a piece of paper where neither the graphological experts still could not distinguish any sign of official address.
In the chapter legisative initiatives, Dodon showed again his populism. The first document which he sent over to the MPs was the cancellation of the one billion debt, put on the shoulders of citizens. The paper failed in plenary and Dodon expected nothing less of it. He just wanted to stir up the dust of this paper and throw it in the eyes of citizens.
His other actions enroll, probably in the category Presidential Hallucinations: the recognition of the Transnistrian gas debt, the request to introduce the "History of Moldova" in schools and Russian language as a a compulsory subject of study, the replacement of "Romanian language" on the Presidency's website with "MD", the attempt to dismiss the prosecutor general, the congratulations on the occasion of February 23 (do you see Trump doing that?) and creating all sorts of boards and consultative committees designed to give him the feeling that he has what to coordinate. Because the feeling that you are in work at a hierarchical and social height like this, is something invaluable, any president knows...