Medvedev met over the weekend with Marian Lupu, a former communist who established his own opposition party, the Democratic Party, now part of a pro-European alliance.
The meeting took place in the margins of a summit of the Community of Independent States, a loose Russia-centred regional organisation (see EurActiv 19/08/09).
Speaking to EurActiv, leading experts on Moldova recently called Lupu a "kingmaker" (EurActiv 28/07/09).
"Medvedev discussed with Lupu as if he were the president of the Republic of Moldova," the Russian daily Kommersant wrote, also quoting an unnamed aide to Medvedev, who said that Lupu is "probably the next president".
The daily also quotes Medvedev's introductory remarks with Lupu: "I would like to discuss with you our bilateral relations, because being in Chisinau and not doing so would be wrong. Your country is putting in place a new leadership, and we are interested in developing friendly relations," the Russian president is reported as saying.
Significantly, Medvedev neglected to meet Vladimir Voronin, leader of the Communist party and a former president of the country, despite Voronin's requests. "We had requests for meetings from Voronin […] but this was the choice we made," a Kremlin source is quoted as saying.
Russian credit of $500 million to Chisinau also appears to be part of the picture as Russia has reportedly agreed that the issue should be placed on the agenda. Such assistance had already been foreseen before the July elections, apparently with conditions attached (EurActiv 28/07/09).
"This question [the $500 million loan] is again on the agenda. We will discuss it," Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin is quoted as saying in the Russian press.
On 7 October the parliament in Moldova decided that it would hold a vote to elect the country's new president on 23 October. In order to elect a president, a minimum of 61 votes in the 101-seat single chamber parliament is needed. The anti-communist Alliance for European Integration has 53 seats, and the Communist Party holds the remaining 48 seats.
"The attention of the Russian president to the candidate Lupu could well influence the election results," Kommersant writes. A minimum of eight Communist votes are needed to elect Lupu.
If the parliament fails to elect a president before 11 November, acting President Mihai Ghimpu must dissolve the assembly and fix a date for fresh elections, which will be held no earlier than next year.
Shelving plans to join NATO
Acting President Ghimpu said he had discussed with Medvedev the withdrawal of the Russian army from the territory of the Republic of Moldova, as well as a solution to the Transnistria conflict (see 'Background'). According to press reports, Medvedev responded by making it plain that Moldova should shelve any plans to join NATO.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is quoted the ministry’s official website as saying that "a certain change of format of peace-keeping operations [in Transnistria] is possible, but only in the context of the overall conflict management, as it was foreseen in the Kozak memorandum which Chisinau refused to sign".
2003's so-called 'Kozak Memorandum', a Russian proposal rejected at that time by then-President Voronin, foresees equal status for Transnistria in a federation with the rest of the country, and establishment of a neutral, demilitarised state.
