How can I help you understand this election better?
Chip in your 2 cents to shape Moldova Matters' coverage
Hey everyone! On September 28th Moldovans are heading to the polls to vote in what might be the most consequential election since independence. That might sound hyperbolic, but now more than ever there is a battle of competing visions for the country’s future. At the same time, we are seeing an unprecedented amount of hybrid warfare attacks against Moldovan democracy coming from the Kremlin.
In this time, I view my role, and the role of this publication, as one of providing context and helping cut through the madness to what is most important. In addition to the Weekly Roundup, I will be publishing a series of articles diving into various aspects of the election and campaign. You should have the first of these - a look at the serious problems facing polling in this election - in your inbox now. Here’s a link:
P.S. For those who aren’t subscribers and haven’t read it - you’re missing out on an interesting discussion of the mechanisms used by corrupt parties to rig the public polls. Check it out!
In addition to polling, here are a few more topics that I really want to cover / definitely will cover:
Parties to Watch - which among the 23 parties and candidates matter in this election and why. A look at the ones most likely to get in, and the ones who could be most consequential even if they have zero chance of getting elected.
Parties and Platforms - a deep dive into the election promises of the top parties in the race (and some others if they are entertaining). This will probably be a multi-part article.
Moldova’s Right vs. Left - I plan an update to this classic 2021 article I wrote ahead of last parliamentary elections and dive deep into what these political labels even mean in Moldova.
Those topics are gonna keep me busy, especially the party platforms1. And alongside these topics I’m sure I’ll find some inspiration along the way, or something crazy will happen and I’ll have to cover it.
But even so, that leaves some room for other deep dives and analysis - and that’s where you come in. Leave a comment on this article, or just reply to this email, if you have any ideas for things I should cover. If you have a question about how Moldova’s elections work, and never knew where to ask it - go ahead! If you always wanted to know more about the political parties running or some candidate, just ask!
I won’t get to every question of course, but I’ll sift through and find topics that I think I could answer in a way that provides valuable context or insights into what’s going on. If a lot of people send questions in, I might consider doing a mailbag-style podcast episode too.
Everyone can leave a comment or send in ideas - but as I wrote earlier, going forward Analysis is joining Perspective behind the paywall. It takes a *lot* of work to make this newsletter happen and I need to reward the people whose subscriptions make that possible - so consider becoming one today!
Some parties have a habit of writing 150+ pages of the driest material you can possibly imagine (looking at you Communists)
It also occurs to me that I'm not clear on how effective the police of Moldova are in tackling electoral crime.
The impression I get is that they seem to go after it quickly and effectively, is that correct? If so this is unlike the judiciary, whose main tactic often seems to be to slow walk cases until they expire.
What are the paths to victory for the likely future leaders?