A delicate woman’s hand, with an appearance of great fragility, brought her tormented country to a moment of fate change that no one could realistically hope for – the beginning of the EU accession process, especially in the midst of a crazy regional political context and facing a malevolent power, perhaps the most malevolent in Europe’s history at least.
Maia Sandu is more than a successful politician, she is more than an example and a reference point. Maia Sandu is an authentic phenomenon, the true providential leader that a country on the brink knew to choose as a last chance for survival and should have the wisdom to keep, despite inevitable disappointments and an equally inevitable erosion.
Maia Sandu's victory in the presidential elections in the Republic of Moldova is probable, but not certain, because Moscow has never easily given up its prey, and the raw material for electoral manipulations and bribes is rich in a poor people, with many less educated areas, often frozen in superstitions and fears that Russian agents now activate as if pressing buttons.
What is the secret of the phenomenon called Maia Sandu? Certainly one of its main components is a very solid education, done in a timely and thorough manner. Then, there is modesty, as personally I have only encountered it with Ms. Kovesi.
I have conducted two interviews with Ms. Sandu and each time she overwhelmed me with her elegance, good manners, and almost humility that she naturally displayed, making it impossible to be feigned.
It is easy to understand why the president of a small country is treated internationally with the respect that leaders of larger and more powerful countries do not receive. She is irresistible.
And, of course, an iron will that did not allow any step back, despite what she had to face, especially after the start of the war in Ukraine. Has she made mistakes? Certainly. Has she achieved everything she promised? Definitely not.
But the question is not whether someone is perfect or not. The question is whether the errors are explainable and accepted, and, above all, whether they have deviated from the course assumed by a leader. And Maia Sandu's great merit is that, no matter how terribly the hurricanes of the pandemic and war hit, she maintained the course and followed the interests of her people, with immense political risks.
As I mentioned, terrible conspiracies are woven against Maia Sandu, paid for, as we have already seen, with a lot of money. But she has on her side the young and fresh part of her people.
This week I had the opportunity to speak with a young lady from the Republic of Moldova, now living in Romania, who passionately told me not only that she and her husband will vote for Ms. Sandu, but also about her efforts to convince some older relatives who still have doubts or acquaintances influenced by Russian blood trying to dictate their choice.
Similar to what the Romanian diaspora did in 2014. Unfortunately, the beneficiary of that effort and immense trust investment did not honor them, not even attempting to do so, on the contrary, defiantly betrayed them. What a shame!
And as Romania is approaching its own presidential elections, the comparison between the offer represented by Maia Sandu and the lamentable, weaker than ever, offer in Romania is inevitable.
If Maia Sandu has achieved so much with an unstable, poor country, with a nightmarish ethnic composition, without security guarantees, and without the benefits of EU membership, what could she have accomplished with Romania, with all its irresponsibly wasted extraordinary premises?
Unfortunately, Romania does not have the chance of having its own Maia Sandu. In fact, it has never truly had one. With exceptions coming from a different historical caliber, such as Corneliu Coposu, Romania's leaders have not been able to carry the burden of responsibility entrusted to them to an honorable end. Even those who started well crumbled under the pressure of their own weaknesses.
The continuous degradation has led us to choose, among those with a chance to reach the second round, between impostors and/or scoundrels.
What is written here is not intended as an implicit plea for a repetition of the Cuza moment. I have repeated and do not retract, despite the insults and screams I have generated, that unionism is currently a form of Putinism because it provides Moscow with the perfect argument - Romania, a NATO country, desires revisionism. Additionally, there is currently no majority unionist sentiment in the Republic of Moldova, which is why this theme has the potential to harm Maia Sandu.
Which does not mean that Romania does not need its own Maia Sandu. But there is another question. If she were shown, would she be recognized? Fed so much with imposture, populism, and foolishness, do we still know how to recognize and choose authentic value?