CHIŞINĂU (Imedia) - The members of the ruling Alliance for European Integration (AEI) have been increasingly fighting amongst themselves.

The Defense Ministry's decision to refrain from sending military staff to a Moscow parade dedicated to 65 years since the Soviet Union's victory in World War II has led to a number of public disagreements among the coalition members.

The Defense Minister was appointed by the Liberal Party (LP) after the Alliance distributed cabinet seats, and the party seems to be supportive of his decision on this issue. On the other hand, the Democratic Party (DP), the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and the Moldova Noastra [Our Moldova] Alliance (MNA) have said they support the Moldovan military's attendance in Moscow.

Prime Minister Vlad Filat, who is also LDP head, said during a cabinet meeting on April 21 that he was displeased with "speculations" about this subject and argued that a political decision in this regard had not yet been made. „Moldova needs to attend the May 9 parade in Moscow, and Moldovan soldiers will walk on the Red Square," Mr. Filat promised.

In a related news story, DP head Marian Lupu said that he has not been the Alliance's presidential candidate since December 7, 2009, when legislators failed to elect a head of state. .

Imedia spoke with a number of analysts to find out why the Alliance members seem to be fighting.

Commentary:

Alexei Tulbure: These disagreements are perfectly natural

Alexei Tulbure, executive director of the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly, says that „these disagreements are perfectly natural."

„These parties have disagreed about certain things from the beginning and will continue disagreeing. Since the Alliance was founded, the DP has repeatedly said that it has a different position than the other AEI members regarding certain issues. At the same time, the party has stressed that it does have some common viewpoints with the three other parties - the country's modernization, European integration, etc.

So, aside from what unifies these parties, the AEI members are completely different. The DP is a social democratic party, while the other components of the Alliance are more liberal. So the differences are perfectly normal. The fact that Marian Lupu said he is no longer the Alliance's presidential candidate is simply a conclusion everyone was already familiar with. The current legislature will not vote for a head of state, and we'll see what happens after the next elections. Will there be a new alliance? If there is a new alliance, will it have a single presidential candidate? These are questions that remain unanswered, and things will become clear only after early elections.

As far as statements about the Defense Ministry's refusal to send the military to the parade in Moscow, the DP's position was clear and predictable. The party said explicitly that Moldova should be there, along with France, the United States, the U.K., Poland, and so on," Mr. Tulbure adds.

He concludes that „there is also the element of early elections, which are nearing and are therefore affecting the behavior of any political actors. As far as the DP's position regarding Mr. Lupu's candidacy and the parade in Moscow, it is not electoral but about the party's principles."

Bogdan Tirdea: The AEI is no longer a monolith

Bogdan Tirdea, political program director with the Priznanie Foundation, says that „these statements, which are often contradictory, show the confusion within the AEI that appeared after the Venice Commission issued its position about the adoption of a new Constitution and the attempt to avoid early elections."

„The VC's position caused a break in the Alliance, which is widening. The Alliance also received a heavy blow from P.M. Vlad Filat, who suggested that if the head of state ends up being elected by the people, he would run. This confirms that Vlad Filat, contrary to a number of commitments within the Alliance, is ready to run for President. The Alliance has practically lost its unity once it lost its unique presidential candidate. The coalition has two big problems at the moment: one is structural, and the other ideological. From an ideological standpoint, there is disagreement about the significance of May 9 and other such problems.

These ideological discrepancies have deepened because of structural problems. I am talking about the fact that the DP leader is the only person without any official position and who has also lost his symbolic position as head of state. So statements by Mr. Lupu are an attempt by the DP to discreetly put some distance between them and the rest of the Alliance. Through this gesture, he is suggesting that the electoral campaign has begun, unofficially, and that the AEI is no longer a monolith," Mr. Tirdea adds.

Nicolae Negru: Disagreements within the AEI are more formal than principled

Nicolae Negru, a political commentator, says the recent disagreements within the AEI are not new.

„I don't think these disagreements have intensified lately. I don't see that. What Mr. Lupu said was normal because we're entering the electoral period. He is trying to distance himself from the AEI Government because he seeks the support of another portion of the electorate. It is true, he has manifested himself like this more often recently. Maybe he refrained earlier, but now, once there is no more doubt we will have elections, Mr. Lupu is following his own path. He has actually suggested that he disagrees with the other Alliance members. Since he is relying on the left-wing electorate, it is clear that he will say we need to attend the parade in Moscow, that we need to look East more, and so on.

As far as the Government, we are not seeing some ministers pulling in one direction and others pulling in another. The Government is working. Probably not as efficiently as we would have wished, but not because there are disagreements. There are both objective and subjective reasons - some ministers have experience, while others do not. It is true that we are getting closer and closer to early elections, and that is becoming clear. Disagreements within the AEI are more formal than principled, however. Its members are making statements for their electorate, and it isn't necessary for these statements to be followed up by actions," Mr. Negru avers.

File:

The current coalition - the Alliance for European Integration - was founded on August 8, 2009, by the LDP, the LP, the DP, and the MNA.

The Alliance announced five objectives: reestablishing the rule of law, overcoming the social and economic crisis, European integration and a balanced foreign policy, decentralizing power and ensuring local autonomy, and the country's territorial reintegration.

The LDP, LP, DP, and MNA began negotiations to create a governing coalition on July 30, the second day after early legislative elections. During negotiations, even before the Alliance was founded, media outlets spoke about some veiled criticism and mutual blackmail accusations between representatives of the four parties, but their leaders said that the Alliance would be formed and would be functional.