One Thing Russia and the West Agree On
Neither wants Moldova to turn into Europe's version of Venezuela.
Socialism looms over Moldova, and that’s not all bad.
Photographer: DANIEL MIHAILESCU/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Europe has its own Venezuela now: Its poorest or second poorest nation, depending on how you count, has two governments. The main difference: Russia and the West prefer the same one, because the alternative is worse – blatant state capture by an oligarch who is only in this for himself.
In February, Moldova, a country of 3.5 million squeezed between Ukraine and Romania, held an inconclusive parliamentary election. Three parties – the pro-Russian Socialist Party, the pro-European Union ACUM and the Democratic Party, led by oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc – each got more than 20 percent of the vote. Coalition talks promised to be difficult: Neither of the other two political forces wanted to work with Plahotniuc. While the coalition negotiations dragged on, the Democratic Party’s Pavel Filip continued running the government, just as he had before the election.