Smirnov's Presidential Elections
This is the only way one could call the electoral show fixed for this Sunday in Tiraspol.
It is the forth time when the inhabitants of the Pridnestrovian region of the Republic of Moldova will elect the head of the unrecognized republic. Though not quite true! The first time, the President appeared sort of by himself. Meaning there was no alternative to Igor Smirnov from the very beginning. More than 10 years have passed since then. Time is running out fast, but, at the same time, many events have happened within this insignificant interval from history viewpoint. New things gradually replace older ones, new organizations, structures, systems, and finally people come and go. But Igor Smirnov’s non-alternative nature as the leader of the unrecognized PMR remains constant.
The Unsinkable
No, of course, the appearance of democratic and free elections has been always maintained for Pridnestrovian inhabitants. Igor Smirnov has never been the only candidate in the elections for the Pridnestrovian chair. There were other candidates as well. Most of them were figureheads who, by the end of the election campaign, used to address their followers urging them to “give their votes for the acting president…”. True democracy!
But some of them are very self-confident and they sincerely believe in the possibility to beat “Him”. As a rule, they are high-ranking officials, who have stood side by side with Igor Smirnov when the unrecognized republic was created. Relying on their personal authority and support of fighters for ideological principles of “freedom and independence” of Pridnestrovie, these renegades have suddenly voiced their claims to the presidential chair.
Consequently, they were treated as traitors, practically according to the laws in the time of war. Let us remember at least the duet of Toma Zenovich, former Mayor of Bender, and Fedor Dobrov, Chairman of Bender Town Soviet. They had been honestly warned from above not to interfere. “Are you unpleased with your life, masters of the second largest Pridnestrovian city?” They did not obey and interfered. They staked everything they had, and as one might have expected, lost everything. And taking into consideration several circumstances surrounding that election campaign – they should be happy for remaining safe and sound. As Igor Smirnov obtained another victory, nobody took revenge on them. Winners are above any foolish revenge. It only tuned out that the unfortunate President Zenovich and Vice-President Dobrov remained without their jobs. Namely, the new-old Government did not need their services anymore. Well, Tom Markovich had always looked further ahead – he managed to prepare an alternate aerodrome in the field of private business. While Fedor Dobrov, an ideological fighter, who has always been trying to present himself as the most orthodox orthodox, lives in misery according to the gossips spread by Bender inhabitants. Seemingly he sells potatoes on the stand owned by the well-known businessman Pasiutin. But perhaps people are lying and Fedor Dobrov is all right?!
There is a third category of candidates. Here we refer to the local official opposition. They held high positions when the Pridnestrovian nomenclature was just being created as well. But they have lost their positions for different reasons. As a rule, because they have had their own opinion on methods and purposes of governing. They are, indeed, serious and competent men, who carry out political campaigns in between elections. They try to create their own electorate in practice and have obtained certain achievements. But their real chances to win the elections are clearly insignificant. Of course they will get some votes, a few for the time being. But it is the process that matters. Their brave zeal and aspiration to prove something are very important indeed.
A new factor appeared on the Transnitrian electoral horizon between the previous and present elections. Its majesty business, or in the modern way – financial and commercial group, voiced its ambitions. The biggest firm in the region “Sheriff” started to actively prepare its own candidate. It would seem that all the roads are clear before the new-born oligarchy. Literally, they roll in money. The only thing they had to do is use the inexhaustible financial resources in order to carry out an efficient campaign and convince citizens of the fact that passing the power under the wing of the local economic miracle is promising and timely. Apparently, it was not meant to be.
Contestants’ Screening
We should mention from the very beginning that, of the three forces alternative to Igor Smirnov’s team in these elections, only two have some real chances of spoiling the image, which the entire population has about the steadiness of the acting Government team. We may not take into consideration local Communists, represented by their candidate Nadejda Bondarenco. Marx-Engels-Lenin followers in Pridnestrovian region are too weak and lack initiative.
While “Sheriff” team had real chances to win. If only they made some more efforts. And that is where things were heading. Many efforts and means have been spent on creating the image of THEIR candidate – young and dynamic acting speaker of the Supreme Soviet Evgheny Shevchuc. It seemed that everything had been decided. They had nothing else to do than smoothly get through the election campaign and the desired power would have been theirs. But suddenly something happened. Contrary to all expectations, instead of the expected Shevchuc, Petr Tomaily entered the election race as “Sheriff” candidate. He is one of the founding fathers of “Sheriff”, but quite unknown to local people. What has happened? Maybe, the administration of the commercial giant understood that their candidate is unprepared and maybe too weak? They say he did not succeed to show his worth in the local politics. And this is the cause that made him withdraw. Perhaps. However, there is another rumor circulating in the circle of Pridnestrovian political elite. People say that Smirnov and “Sheriff” teams came to an agreement. While other freethinkers believe, that this agreement has been reached in Moscow. It seems that the change of the unsinkable leader is not profitable for the Big Northern Neighbour, which traditionally had played one of the leading roles in Pridnestrovian issue. It is not the time! In exchange for the voluntary withdrawn from the fight for the presidential chair, or rather from the full-scale imitation of this fight, in which the “heavy artillery” has not been involved, it is said that a two-element compensation was promised to the business. The first one is the long-expected introduction in Pridnestrovie of the Prime Minister position, which will be held by Evgheny Shevchuc immediately the elections are over, when Igor Smirnov will win an overwhelming victory as usually. At the same time, another representative of “Sheriff” team will take the position of the local speaker Shevchuc. In short – it is a renewal. The second element is the solid promise of not hindering the achievement of their ambitions to power during the next elections, which will take place in 2011. The situation of the opposition representatives is somewhat different. To all appearances, the second largest Pridnestrovian opposition block – Radchenco-Buchatski team – had either become completely obsolete, or decided to create a united opposition front with the team of Andrei Safonov and Grigory Volovoi. The oppositionists themselves state that they have real chances of winning the presidential elections, or if not winning, than at least taking about 30-40 % of votes. The reality has shown that their calculations are not that improbable. Otherwise how can we explain the chain of problems, which accompanied the registration of the opposition candidates. Remember: Andrei Safonov and Grigory Volovoi submitted their registration applications before the number one candidate, Igor Smirnov, had done that. They gathered much more signatures from their supporters than the normative acts required. Anyway, the local Central Election Commission refused to register them, motivating that there were many forged signatures among the ones gathered for the presidential candidate Safonov. Without lacking enough stamina, Safonov and Volovoi have immediately stated before mass-media that their registration was blocked by the order of the acting Pridnestrovian Government, which is aware of the fact that the presence of well-known oppositionists on voting papers could cast aspersions on the opinion spread among the inhabitants of the region regarding the general support of Igor Smirnov’s course of action. Besides, the registration refusal was examined in court. This event was also preceded by a very interesting and mysterious story. According to Grigorii Volovoi, when he and Andrei Savonof came to CEC to receive the materials, which proved the forgery they had committed, the event that took place in there resembled a circus show. Just think to yourself. At the beginning the responsible officials said that they are ready to show them the corresponding materials, but they will not allow them to make copies or take pictures of them. When this absurd barrier was overcome, a strange picture took shape. Firstly, all the explanatory documents of citizens who had supposedly refused to sign in the support of candidate Safonov, looked like carbon-copies of the same form. Moreover, after having thoroughly studied the presented materials, the candidates noticed that there were several citizens’ refusals to give their signature in the support of a certain candidate Safronov among them. Up until now nobody knows who this person is. Another citizen submitted to CEC a document, which said that he has indeed signed in the support of the Pridnestrovian presidential candidate Andrei Safonov simply because he had no idea who he was. But now, after having figured everything out, he withdraws his signature. And suddenly the paper on which Andrei Safonov himself declined his signature in support of his own candidature was discovered. His personal identification data was written on that paper, except for the signature, of course. The court of fist instance canceled Pridnestrovian CEC decision on the refusal to register the candidate. In its turn, CEC stated that it refuses to recognize the decision of the court! It is true that CEC officials tempered justice with mercy on the same day and in the end registered Andrei Safonov as candidate for Transnitrian president, and respectively, Grigory Volovoi as candidate for Vice-president. “Now you can proceed to the election campaign”- CEC officials congratulated Safonov and Volovoi. It is true that there was just one week left before the elections!
This kind of strange election campaign precedes Igor Smirnov’ election as the unrecognized PMR President. Let each of you draw our own conclusions from the above mentioned.
Semen NICULIN
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