An Agreement Between Russian, Moldovan Political Parties

September 16, 2010

Marian Lupu, head of the Democratic Party of Moldova (PDM), visited Moscow Sept. 16 and met with Sergei Naryshkin, head of the Administration of the President of Russia, and State Duma speaker Boris Gryzlov. Lupu and Gryzlov and signed a cooperation agreement between the PDM, which is a member of Moldova’s ruling pro-European coalition, and United Russia, the ruling party of Russia.
Akin to the old Soviet tactic of linking other countries’ parties to the Communist Party, the agreement calls for consultations between the two parties and regular exchanges of party delegations. It will also enhance Russia’s influence in Moldova and give the Kremlin a strategic foothold to undermine the country’s pro-European elements.
The cooperation agreement comes at a critical time for Moldova. The country recently held a referendum, supported by the pro-European coalition, to directly elect the president. The referendum failed, resulting in a call for parliamentary elections, likely to be held in late November. The Moldovan Parliament has been split between the pro-European coalition, supported by Romania, and the Communists, supported by Russia. Neither side has been able to decisively outmaneuver the other for power in the country, and the result so far has been 18 months of political deadlock.
The upcoming elections present an opportunity for either pro-Russian or pro-Western elements to break this deadlock and solidify power in Moldova. Moscow recently intensified moves to increase its influence in the tiny country, ranging from pressuring the government by banning wine and fruit exports to enlisting neighboring Ukraine to help Russia in its mediation efforts over the breakaway republic of Transdniestria. Russia has effectively consolidated the Communists and pro-Russian elements in the country but has faced stiff competition from the pro-Europeans and their backers.
Now, with the signing of the cooperation agreement with Lupu’s pro-European PDM, Moscow has gone straight to the core of the competition. What makes Lupu important is that he was a leader in the Communist Party until he broke with party boss and former president Vladimir Voronin in 2009. Russia reportedly has been trying to push Lupu to leave the pro-European coalition and form a bloc with the Communist Party when new elections are held.
Whether Russia is able to accomplish this remains to be seen, but Russia could have more power if Lupu and his party stayed in the European coalition in order to sabotage the bloc until the elections. Nevertheless, the cooperation agreement alone weakens the unity of the pro-Europeans in the run-up to elections and could shift the balance of power in Moldova significantly toward Moscow.