The COVID-19 virus stole Easter this year. Although the churches had their doors open, they remained empty. The virus kept people away from the church, away from the Easter traditions, away from each other, more alone than usual.

Now, the world is trying to find out what will happen in the coming weeks and months. In Moldova, people spent their Easter praying and lighting candles in their houses.  

It was easier for the authorities to decide how the churches will work during Easter. However, for the churches, it was harder to accept that this year Easter will be celebrated in empty churches. For the people who learned to live with Moldovan traditions, it was also a difficult Easter.  

Many people claim that even during the war they celebrated Easter. However, this year, in some villages, the priests blessed the people’s Easter baskets while passing through the village streets. It was an Easter outside of the ordinary, but even if it kept us home, COVID-19 could not take God or Easter away from us. 

On April 19, people lit candles in their houses and praised Jesus Christ through songs, as the painter Grigore Plămădeală described in a conversation we had.

All the world’s governments were taken by surprise, and are trying to find the source of the virus and how to annihilate it. However, the situation is different in Chișinău. Firstly, Moldova can’t investigate the COVID-19 virus as other countries can. 

And secondly, the fight against COVID-19 in Moldova became an electoral show. And President Igor Dodon is directing this show. After he was forgotten for four years, Dodon seeks to make an electoral image as the greatest fighter for the good of the nation. And this COVID-19 virus became a milking cow. He aims to use this crisis to boost his electoral campaign for the autumn presidential elections. He hopes to mislead the electorate again and take the presidency for another four-year term. 

Dodon will do anything to appear on TV.  When Prime Minister Ion Chicu and Minister of Health Viorica Dumbrăveanu give briefings on the COVID-19 situation, Dodon comes in front with his speech. When church leaders or the Metropolitan Archbishop address issues about Easter or the Holy Fire, Dodon again tries to take the lead and speak in front of the people. 

Apparently, Dodon is afraid that if the TV will not show him one or two days, people will forget him. However, Dodon does not get involved in more serious activities. He forgot about the stolen billion, about the Russian army on the Nistru River, about the non-performing loans from Banca de Economii, about the big corruption cases or the extradition of Vladimir Plahotniuc, who from day to day might come back with evidence against him. 

The milking cow used during the 2016 presidential elections will not serve Dodon’s interests during this year’s elections. Without Plahotniuc’s help, relying solely on Putin’s help, Dodon has few chances no matter how much the polls inflate his rating. 

In 2005, Vladimir Voronin, former President of Moldova, won his second term because the opposition was weak, not because he was the strongest.