Russia not to support the idea of Referendum in Pridnestrovie

Pridnestrovian and Russian experts note that a pointed and broad discussion is developing around the Constitutional reform initiated by president Smirnov.

The question touching the realization of the Referendum is submit for Parliament session consideration, which is going to take place on November 18. According to Pridnestrovie’s Supreme Council deputies, who regularly express their opinions in regional and Russian Media, most of them are not ready to support president’s initiative.

Thus, if Pridnestrovian Parliament doesn’t take a positive decision, president’s team will have to drive for 15 000 signatures supporting president’s initiative. The procedure itself is impossible without the increase of public sentiments degree, without a sharp politicization of the population and without further growth of confrontational dynamics.

Only if the signatures will be given, one can say with confidence that the date of Referendum in Pridnestrovie will be set. Still, such a course of events means neither positive result for the initiators of new Constitution nor recognition of the results of this referendum as corresponding to international democratic standards. Thus, phasing out the legitimate parliament, president and his supporters may loose the “de-facto” legitimacy in the Russian, Ukrainian and other states’ official structures’ eyes. This can lead to miserable results, including absolute international isolation.

It is necessary to note that Russian official establishment deprecate the idea of this Referendum. They are deputies of Russian State Duma, politicians and experts who appear in informational publications with the idea that it is necessary that the sides should find areas of common interest, turn back upon the conflict and make decisions at the bargaining table.

The theme of the Constitutional crisis in Pridnestrovie is not traversed by Russian Media, which is not accidental. This fact creates a very unfavourable background around the presidential initiative and it indirectly refers to the attitude of the Russian official institutions and leadership to what is happening.

Regional and Russian experts call to pay attention at the sharply marked position of the Russian Embassy in Moldova. Russian Embassy doesn’t get in the way of the situation, but they make it clear that the provision of humanitarian help to citizens of Pridnestrovie has been recently carried out through Supreme Council structures and it is not by chance but it is so because Russian officials take into account the situation in Pridnestrovie.

Thus, Valery Kusmin, Russian Ambassador in Moldova, declared that Russian humanitarian help has been conducted by the well-known scheme (through the Supreme Council) for the last two years, because of the “prior experience” – which means that before Russian officials had doubts about the target and transparent use of the funds sent to Pridnestrovie.

Valery Kuzmin, speaking about “prior experience” must have meant that before, humanitarian help was allocated by presidential structures of Pridnestrovie. According to Russian official structures, Supreme Council of Pridnestrovie is today the only structure which is credible on the issue of providing humanitarian and financial aid.

Thus, in case Pridnestrovian Parliament is liquidated in some extraordinary way, it is possible to concede a total freeze of all the humanitarian projects of Russian Federation at the territory of the republic.

It is necessary to take into account the fact that Russia today is the only reliable guide of the idea of equal parties in the negotiation process, and its peacekeeping contingent is the only reliable guarantor of the non-resumption of military conflict.

It is also necessary to note that most of the previous nation-wide expressions in Pridnestrovie were recognized “de-facto” by Russia, despite serious foreign pressure to Russian federation. It is possible that if the referendum on new Constitution is carried out in Pridnestrovie under the variant proposed by president’s team without taking into account the position of the Supreme Council, the results of such a referendum will be not recognized by Russia, but even condemned. This course of events can lead to extremely drastic consequences for Pridnestrovian Republic.