Olga Petrakova, First Pridnestrovian TV Channel:
Vadim Nikolayevich, we are speaking ahead of the single voting day. We will elect deputies to the Supreme Council, local – district and city – council members, and heads of villages and towns this Sunday, the 30th of November. Please tell us what is the significance of this election campaign, especially taking into consideration the external challenges?
The PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky:
The same question would probably have been asked – what is the significance of these elections, if this interview had been given five years ago, or 10 years ago, or 15 years ago. Any election is significant in fact. It's just that situations unfold differently, with their own peculiarities. Power is one always from a human perspective. A person doesn't share power when faced with a problem. Do you understand? When someone approaches an official or a member of parliament with a problem (problems vary), and the official or member of parliament says, "You know, this isn't my problem, it's not my area of expertise, it's someone else's", people can't understand it. Those in power should solve the problem for them. They're essentially right because that's power. It's divided into three branches, but it's unified when it comes to governing the state in reality. This is the people's view, and it's absolutely correct. Therefore, I always say that if a person approaches any official, regardless of their position, that official should solve the problem or find someone who can solve it within their area of expertise. Citizens, individuals, shouldn't be burdened with questions about whose expertise, which branches of government, and so on.
The formation of power is a very interesting process. We're talking about deputies. A deputy is from the people, elected by the people, and is at the forefront of events, at the forefront of conversations, at the forefront of discussions, at the forefront of reproaches, and so on – that is, among the people of course. The formation of a representative, legislative branch of government. Many recall the model of so-called Soviet power, but what is Soviet power? Soviet power is the power of the people, that is, the Soviets. Soviet power comes from the word "soviet." Councils of People's Deputies, city and district councils, the Supreme Council. The people elect their representatives. The formation of representative and legislative bodies is an element of normal Soviet power, when people govern the state through their representatives. How does this governance work? Well, obviously, by electing deputies. A deputy senses problems in communicating with the people. They are told about problems, and they see problems that can be solved simply by some action. Sometimes a problem is solved by changing the law. Deputies understands that laws must be changed to solve these accumulated problems due to the development of the state. This is where the most important point comes in the connection between the individual and the law. If anyone thinks that no one influences the adoption of laws, they're wrong. If you look at the statistics of laws passed by the Supreme Council during a session, over six months, a year, or two years, you'll see that a huge number of them are amendments to laws. Why is this? Because the law isn't a rigid mechanism. It's like plasticine, really. The law, like plasticine, must be molded based on the demands of society. The law must correspond to the spirit of society, the spirit of the people, and not the other way around. It's completely wrong when they invent a law and then force society to conform to it. It's a disaster. The links between the decisions made and the people are the deputies, both of the city (district) Councils and the Supreme Council. This is a very important mechanism. All laws are passed by the Supreme Council in reality. Decisions are made by the city and district Councils. The state lives by the law. Even the President issues decrees, but obeys the law. Of course, the President influences, signs laws, and can veto them, but if a law is passed, he is obligated to implement it. Absolutely. Therefore, the legislative and representative branches of government are crucial for the development of the state. They are the foundation, the support. But imagine that there are forces that want to destroy the state. They are attacking the foundation. How? By encouraging people to stay out of the elections, by encouraging people to vote against everyone, by encouraging them to spoil ballots, and so on. What are these people counting on? They are counting on chaos.
There was a period in our history when the state suddenly found itself without power by and large. I'd like to recall the period from February to November 1917, when the Provisional Government, the Februaryists, those who carried out the coup, abolished state authority. They abolished the gendarmerie, abolished the police. There was no authority. Who came to power? The well-known story of Mishka Yaponchik. He was a bandit, after all and he effectively became the leader of Odessa. Do you understand? Power is simply never empty. It fills up instantly. There is plenty of evidence of this. Let's recall the collapse of the Soviet Union. A tragic period in the history of our homeland. Moldova de facto and de jure renounced Pridnestrovie. With its decrees, its declarations, and so on, But that's NOT what we're talking about now. The people of Pridnestrovie were denied legal assistance. Criminal acts were committed here, but even then the Moldovan police wouldn't even accept reports of crimes committed in Pridnestrovie. There was no President then. Where did people turn? To the deputies. They created elements of protection. They created the state mechanisms that could protect people, their rights, and freedoms. They became the authorities in other words. The deputies. That's all. Therefore, I am convinced that those who call for any kind of opposition in the elections are either pawns in someone else's game or outright provocateurs and enemies. That's the point. I want to draw attention once again to all sorts of external factors. There is fighting going on in neighboring Ukraine. God willing, it will stop, God willing, peace talks will put an end to this major war. Nevertheless, the situation will not stabilize immediately. I don't think so. The neighboring state is also arming itself, and economic problems are arising – also uneven relations. The lack of a normal negotiation process does not inspire optimism. Nevertheless, kindergartens must operate, schools must operate, educational institutions must operate, doctors must treat, correctional institutions, social security must operate, pensions and salaries must be paid, law enforcement must catch criminals, the military must defend the state... This is all the state's responsibility. Who will do this?
I want to address those who take a principled stance: we don't vote. What are you hoping for? You take your children or grandchildren to kindergarten, right? You do. Do your children go to school? They do. Do they attend sports clubs? They do. Who will support all this? Who will manage it? It all depends on us. We shape our own government. How we shape it will determine the kind of society we will have. Don't blame the state if you are outside of it, outside of its processes. The people who are engaged in provocations are scaring our election commission workers; they know their business. These are people who are paid for this and who fully utilize their resources. We must and we will resist these processes. I hope, and have always hoped, for the wisdom of the Pridnestrovians, the Pridnestrovian people. The Pridnestrovian people are truly difficult to deceive. I say this completely sincerely. I know that the Pridnestrovian people have always stood for their truth. It exists. The truth is on our side. Therefore, we must not succumb to provocations. We must come and make a choice. I will not call for voting for someone. That is secondary. Whoever the people choose is worthy. The most important thing is to come and make your choice.
Olga Petrakova, First Pridnestrovian TV Channel:
I would like to focus on one more point. You were a member of parliament. You were the Chairman of the Supreme Council. What should always remain a priority for those people who run as candidates for deputies at all levels?
The PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky:
It's actually very simple. If an elected deputy possesses common sense and such human qualities as honesty, fairness, and a normal approach to business, then everything will be fine. When a legislative initiative is submitted (it can be enormous—several volumes), it's enough to read and understand how this law, how this legislative initiative, will impact people's lives—whether it will improve or worsen. This understanding comes immediately. Then the discussions begin, perhaps even glossing over the issue, or saying, "Let's review it later, let's pass it, and then we'll think about something". No. If there's law-in-draft, you must come to an understanding of the main point. If it improves people's lives, then it should be adopted. It may need some tweaking, some changes, but it should be adopted. If it worsens people's lives, their situation, then it should absolutely not be adopted. If it is adopted, then the concept should be changed, significant revisions should be made. That's common sense. That's all. In fact, genius lies in simplicity. Even if you're not an expert in a particular field in a simple discussion of a given situation, your natural instinct will still give you an understanding of the concept of the law, and you'll come to a conclusion about whether it's necessary or not. Moreover, I've always said and I want to repeat it again. Sometimes people criticize officials, criticize MPs. That's also normal. It's good. Criticism spurs us on. But where do we get officials and MPs from? From people who were criticizing yesterday all the other officials and MPs perhaps. In other words, we are one family. It's just that someone needs to represent this family in society. Here we must talk about the general cultural level of the Pridnestrovian people, the so-called cultural code. If we engage in self-education, self-culture, and self-development, I'm sure a cultured society will have a very cultured MP. An uncultured society will produce uncultured MPs or government officials. This is a complex process that takes years, even decades, to develop. Power is indispensable – not the President, not the Supreme Council, not city and district councils, rural administrations, and courts. These are all great mechanisms of power. They must work for the benefit of the people.
