by Stela Malega
I write to you, Moldova, to initiate an imperative conversation we must have, collectively and individually, moving forward with the harvest of the presidential elections from 2024. Our grape-shaped country, which has ironically been crushed and pressed throughout history, is at a pivotal crossroads.
I remember when Maia Sandu was elected president in 2020—the first female President of Moldova, representing millions of women like me. It was then that I saw the possibility of change. However, change is not linear but undulating, like a kite rising up and plummeting down, sometimes riding and other times cutting the wind. Similarly, the past four years under President Sandu’s governing have seen its peaks and troughs, stepping slowly yet firmly ahead. It goes without saying that Maia Sandu’s administration ought not be spared from scrutiny. Criticism is essential, so long as it is constructive. However, criticism directed against Sandu is often bigoted and misogynistic. For instance, the former president of Moldova and current leader of the Socialist party, Igor Dodon, is guilty of sexist and discriminatory remarks at the expense of Maia Sandu. Dodon’s social media, such as his Facebook profile, chronicles the evidence of such remarks during the recent election campaign from October 2024. The Kremlin puppet addresses Sandu in a derogatory demeanour stating:
[“One more call – to Maia Sandu. Don’t object. I saw your emotions, your hysteria and your fear. But it is better to have a terrible ending, than endless horror. If you are thinking of securing another mandate by forgery, you better give up this idea. You’re turning into a lame duck like the president of Georgia who doesn’t control anything but foams at the mouth. …”]
Not only does Dodon continue to lie, spreading misinformation while gaslighting his adepts, he often contradicts himself by simultaneously accusing Maia of being “cynical, lacking empathy”. Oh, I wonder when women will cease to be labelled hysterical. When will they stop being villainised for voicing their opinion? More than that, I condemn the patriarchal ideals seeped into the Moldovan society, facilitated by the Orthodox Church, who openly disapprove of Sandu due to her status as an unmarried woman without children. I wonder what matters more—a country ruled by a ‘family’ man preoccupied with enslaving the system to corruption or a woman with an agenda of justly governing Moldova and improving its quality of life?
So, I ask you to take a stand on this matter and contemplate the issue of gender bias in Moldovan politics and the misrepresentation, discrimination, and prejudice embedded in it. Must we degrade and dehumanise women and other marginalised groups or can we rise above such regressive tendencies and deconstruct the patriarchal ideals bounding us?
I am relieved to see that a majority of Moldovans, like me, still believe there is a future beyond Russian rapprochement. But our actions cannot stop at this election. We have another chance for change but we cannot bring it about solely by directing our expectations at the institutions. We have to start confronting misogynistic behaviour where it appears, write to the news agencies when they turn a blind eye to the discriminatory comments, complain to them, and confront our families’ traditionalist views. This is a critical electoral victory for Maia Sandu. Now we all need to work together to bring forward the future we so desperately envision.
On Sunday, the 3rd of November, I cast my vote. After sleeping off the eight-hour journey to get to and back from the Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in Brussels, I woke up to my mother’s message: “We won!!!” My tiredness and sore muscles did not matter. I felt proud of my fellow Moldovans. In her post-electoral press conference, Maia Sandu appreciated everyone who voted, the resident nationals and the diaspora. She finished her triumphal speech by saying “I hug you, Moldova”.
Stela Malega is a recent Bachelor graduate in International Social Work. Her interests include feminism, media culture, and art. She is also enthusiastic about film, photography and interacting critically with these forms of expression.
References
Igor Dodon (2024). Încă un apel – către Maia Sandu. Nu vă opuneți. Am văzut emoțiile, isteria și frica dumitale. [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved November 7th, 2024, from https://www.facebook.com/dodon.igor1/videos/562229603018885
Igor Dodon (2024). Vă propun să vă imaginați ce se va întâmpla cu Republica Moldova dacă Maia Sandu va obține al doilea mandat de președinte. [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved November 7th, 2024, from https://www.facebook.com/dodon.igor1/videos/515079044812481/
McGRATH, S., & GHIRDA, V. (2024). Moldova’s pro-Western president wins second term in runoff overshadowed by Russian meddling claims. Associated Press. https://apnews.com/article/moldova-presidential-election-russia-corruption-fraud-5886447779a4a818e9f30fdadcb8bbe5
Suggested follow-up reads:
Baltag, D., & Burmester, I. (2021). Ending the ‘rule of thieves’: Maia Sandu and the fight against corruption in Moldova. LSE. Retrieved November 18, 2024, fromhttps://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2021/11/03/ending-the-rule-of-thieves-maia-sandu-and-the-fight-against-corruption-in-moldova/
Raffia 