11-14-2016, 10:26 PM
*** 15-Nov-16 World View -- Bulgaria and Moldova elect pro-Russian presidents, turning away from EU
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
****
**** Bulgaria: Socialist pro-Russian Rumen Radev wins election as president
****
![[Image: g161114b.jpg]](http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g161114b.jpg)
Presidents-elect: Rumen Radev (Bulgaria), and Igor Dodon (Moldova)
Bulgaria's prime minister resigned on Monday after it became clear
that his party had lost badly in Sunday's presidential election. The
pro-Moscow Socialist candidate Rumen Radev won an overwhelming 59.4%
of the vote, compared to 36.2% for his center-right opponent.
Bulgaria is a member of the European Union, and is also a member of
NATO, creating a potential political conflict with Russia. Radev has
frequently stated his support to end the sanctions on Russia for
invading and annexing Ukraine's Crimean peninsula, and this week he
praised U.S. President-elect Donald Trump for "seeking more dialogue"
with Russia's President Vladimir Putin.
Bulgaria is a mostly Orthodox Christian country in eastern Europe, on
the border with Turkey. Like other east European countries, Bulgarian
officials fear the consequences of the collapse of the EU-Turkey
refugee deal, which would result in a massive new influx of refugees
from Syria. As a result, Bulgaria is building a fence along its
border with Turkey and Greece.
Bulgaria also has migrant troubles in the other direction. In 2014,
Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel is warning Britain's Prime Minister
David Cameron that Britain might have to leave the European Union if
Cameron insists on adopting quotas that would limit the number of
migrant workers coming to Britain from eastern European countries,
like Bulgaria, Poland and Romania. The irony is enormous. RFE/RL and EuroNews and Greek Reporter (11-Aug)
Related Articles
****
**** Moldova: Socialist pro-Russian Igor Dodon wins highly polarizing presidential election
****
Socialist Party leader Igor Dodon won Moldova's presidential election
on Sunday with 52.2% of the vote, after campaigning to pursue closer
ties with Russia rather than the EU.
However, unlike the situation in Bulgaria, the opposing government is
not resigning. The opposition leader Maia Sandu said that the
elections were neither free nor fair. and accused opponents of using
"dirty methods" against her.
Moldova's people are extremely polarized in the political conflict
between the European Union and Russia. At the center of the conflict
has been the secessionist and mainly Russian-speaking province of
Transnistria (also called Trans-Dniester or Transdniester). Russia
has thousands of troops stationed there, supposedly as peacekeepers.
At the time of Russia's military invasion and annexation of Ukraine's
Crimean peninsula, the people of Transnistria, which is on Ukraine's
border, were expressing the hope that Russia's military would annex
Transnistria as well.
In fact, Dodon is apparently prepared to grant Transnistria a special
status, short of full secession:
> [indent]<QUOTE>"For the first time in the recent seven years, all the
> pro-Moldova and pro-state forces have united for friendship with
> Russia, for neutrality, for our Orthodoxy, for the unity of the
> country in settling the Transnistria conflict. The first step has
> been made. ...
>
> "My position remains unchanged," he continued. "We should grant a
> special status to Transnistria. ... I believe, the country’s
> federalization is the only solution."<END QUOTE>[/indent]
On Monday, up to 3,000 mostly young Moldovans marched to the offices
of the Central Election Committee in Chisinau, the country's capital
city, shouting "Down with the Mafia!"
There are fears that a pro-Russian government in Chisinau will result
in an expansion of Russian military forces in Moldova, and this would
cause a hardening of relations with Ukraine and Romania, and indeed
with the entire European Union. Al-Jazeera and Tass (Moscow) and RFE/RL
Related Articles
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Bulgaria, Rumen Radev, Ukraine, Crimea,
Russia, Vladimir Putin, Turkey, Germany, Angela Merkel,
Poland, Romania, Moldova, Igor Dodon, Maia Sandu,
Transnistria, Trans-Dniester, Transdniester
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Bulgaria: Socialist pro-Russian Rumen Radev wins election as president
- Moldova: Socialist pro-Russian Igor Dodon wins highly polarizing presidential election
****
**** Bulgaria: Socialist pro-Russian Rumen Radev wins election as president
****
Presidents-elect: Rumen Radev (Bulgaria), and Igor Dodon (Moldova)
Bulgaria's prime minister resigned on Monday after it became clear
that his party had lost badly in Sunday's presidential election. The
pro-Moscow Socialist candidate Rumen Radev won an overwhelming 59.4%
of the vote, compared to 36.2% for his center-right opponent.
Bulgaria is a member of the European Union, and is also a member of
NATO, creating a potential political conflict with Russia. Radev has
frequently stated his support to end the sanctions on Russia for
invading and annexing Ukraine's Crimean peninsula, and this week he
praised U.S. President-elect Donald Trump for "seeking more dialogue"
with Russia's President Vladimir Putin.
Bulgaria is a mostly Orthodox Christian country in eastern Europe, on
the border with Turkey. Like other east European countries, Bulgarian
officials fear the consequences of the collapse of the EU-Turkey
refugee deal, which would result in a massive new influx of refugees
from Syria. As a result, Bulgaria is building a fence along its
border with Turkey and Greece.
Bulgaria also has migrant troubles in the other direction. In 2014,
Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel is warning Britain's Prime Minister
David Cameron that Britain might have to leave the European Union if
Cameron insists on adopting quotas that would limit the number of
migrant workers coming to Britain from eastern European countries,
like Bulgaria, Poland and Romania. The irony is enormous. RFE/RL and EuroNews and Greek Reporter (11-Aug)
Related Articles
****
**** Moldova: Socialist pro-Russian Igor Dodon wins highly polarizing presidential election
****
Socialist Party leader Igor Dodon won Moldova's presidential election
on Sunday with 52.2% of the vote, after campaigning to pursue closer
ties with Russia rather than the EU.
However, unlike the situation in Bulgaria, the opposing government is
not resigning. The opposition leader Maia Sandu said that the
elections were neither free nor fair. and accused opponents of using
"dirty methods" against her.
Moldova's people are extremely polarized in the political conflict
between the European Union and Russia. At the center of the conflict
has been the secessionist and mainly Russian-speaking province of
Transnistria (also called Trans-Dniester or Transdniester). Russia
has thousands of troops stationed there, supposedly as peacekeepers.
At the time of Russia's military invasion and annexation of Ukraine's
Crimean peninsula, the people of Transnistria, which is on Ukraine's
border, were expressing the hope that Russia's military would annex
Transnistria as well.
In fact, Dodon is apparently prepared to grant Transnistria a special
status, short of full secession:
> [indent]<QUOTE>"For the first time in the recent seven years, all the
> pro-Moldova and pro-state forces have united for friendship with
> Russia, for neutrality, for our Orthodoxy, for the unity of the
> country in settling the Transnistria conflict. The first step has
> been made. ...
>
> "My position remains unchanged," he continued. "We should grant a
> special status to Transnistria. ... I believe, the country’s
> federalization is the only solution."<END QUOTE>[/indent]
On Monday, up to 3,000 mostly young Moldovans marched to the offices
of the Central Election Committee in Chisinau, the country's capital
city, shouting "Down with the Mafia!"
There are fears that a pro-Russian government in Chisinau will result
in an expansion of Russian military forces in Moldova, and this would
cause a hardening of relations with Ukraine and Romania, and indeed
with the entire European Union. Al-Jazeera and Tass (Moscow) and RFE/RL
Related Articles
- Mass protests force Moldova to choose between Europe and Russia (26-Jan-2016)
- Russian troops approach Ukraine's border, threaten port city Mariupol (05-Nov-2014)
- Russia threatens to invade Ukraine from East and West (15-Aug-2014)
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Bulgaria, Rumen Radev, Ukraine, Crimea,
Russia, Vladimir Putin, Turkey, Germany, Angela Merkel,
Poland, Romania, Moldova, Igor Dodon, Maia Sandu,
Transnistria, Trans-Dniester, Transdniester
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
