I'm really interested in what the pro-Russia gang are up to.
They seem to be trying hard to distance themselves from looking even remotely pro Russia, but can this be successful? It seems a bit obvious, particularly if pro Europeans point it out.
Or maybe I'm overestimating the electorate's sophistication...
To me it was REALLY surprising when Christians started leaving the Russian Orthodox church, and moving to the Romanian Orthodox church. Not something a religious person would do lightly, and to me an indicator of how toxic Russia has become.
Hi Nick! I also think there's an open question here. Maybe the answer is less strategy and more tactics - testing lots of things out and moving in the direction of least resistance / most public resonance.
I honestly do not understand Alternative's call for electoral corruption amnesty's. You would think that they would try and position themselves more pro-EU and as a safe alternative to voters who are fed up with PAS but not willing to vote for Shor and Kremlin candidates. The makeup of the block itself practically *screams* pro-Russia and they aren't doing much to dissuade people from that conclusion.
I think we're going to see a lot of frenetic political positioning in the coming months as people try and rationalize contradictory positions. We'll see.
Regarding the church, I think that people do certainly take their religion seriously but they also engage in religion both communally and through local church leaders. So if the priests at a parish decide to move over to the Romanian Orthodox Church, or others in the community have very strong feelings, a lot of people will move trusting the leaders. That's my impression rather than masses of individuals wrestling with conscience. It's also worth noting that both Churches are part of the Orthodox Church so none of this is heresy per say.
Other than that, I agree this is all fascinating to watch and try and figure out!
I noticed fairly early on that the pro Russia camp are not very good politicians.
Dodon glowers at everyone, and insults potential voters (I really noticed that in the second round when Sandu was elected for the first time, when he insulted the diaspora.
And if I had a pound for every time I've seen him smile, I'd have 50 pence by now.
Stoianoglo didn't seem to engage with the electorate at all from what I saw. Almost like he didn't need to campaign because someone else was busy buying the votes he needed...
I'm really interested in what the pro-Russia gang are up to.
They seem to be trying hard to distance themselves from looking even remotely pro Russia, but can this be successful? It seems a bit obvious, particularly if pro Europeans point it out.
Or maybe I'm overestimating the electorate's sophistication...
To me it was REALLY surprising when Christians started leaving the Russian Orthodox church, and moving to the Romanian Orthodox church. Not something a religious person would do lightly, and to me an indicator of how toxic Russia has become.
But you know more than me...
Hi Nick! I also think there's an open question here. Maybe the answer is less strategy and more tactics - testing lots of things out and moving in the direction of least resistance / most public resonance.
I honestly do not understand Alternative's call for electoral corruption amnesty's. You would think that they would try and position themselves more pro-EU and as a safe alternative to voters who are fed up with PAS but not willing to vote for Shor and Kremlin candidates. The makeup of the block itself practically *screams* pro-Russia and they aren't doing much to dissuade people from that conclusion.
I think we're going to see a lot of frenetic political positioning in the coming months as people try and rationalize contradictory positions. We'll see.
Regarding the church, I think that people do certainly take their religion seriously but they also engage in religion both communally and through local church leaders. So if the priests at a parish decide to move over to the Romanian Orthodox Church, or others in the community have very strong feelings, a lot of people will move trusting the leaders. That's my impression rather than masses of individuals wrestling with conscience. It's also worth noting that both Churches are part of the Orthodox Church so none of this is heresy per say.
Other than that, I agree this is all fascinating to watch and try and figure out!
I noticed fairly early on that the pro Russia camp are not very good politicians.
Dodon glowers at everyone, and insults potential voters (I really noticed that in the second round when Sandu was elected for the first time, when he insulted the diaspora.
And if I had a pound for every time I've seen him smile, I'd have 50 pence by now.
Stoianoglo didn't seem to engage with the electorate at all from what I saw. Almost like he didn't need to campaign because someone else was busy buying the votes he needed...
The only exception seems to be Ion Ceban.