The Role of Religion in Moldovan Populist Mobilization Strategies: A Competition between Traditional and Religious Values?

Abstract

The article contributes to the study of the relationship between religion and populist mobilization strategies of non–right-wing-populist actors in the post-Soviet space. It analyzes how religious references are employed to appeal to voters’ collective identities in the Republic of Moldova. The analysis of two Moldovan parties’ electoral campaigns in 2019–2020 highlights how notions of “religious values” and “traditional values” are used to evoke the “cultural toolkit.” By stressing the homogeneity of voters or the dichotomy between “the people” and “the elite,” the parties tie their religious references to different geopolitical narratives and society’s sets of core values.