“Russia has changed its tactics to destabilize Moldova, our answer is vigilance” - Maia Sandu
Russia is allegedly not abandoning attempts to destabilize the situation in Moldova ahead of local elections this fall.
President of Moldova Maia Sandu stated this in an interview with the Romanian radio channel RFI, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“We must be prepared for any scenario. Russia has changed its tactics of destabilization, and we must expect new attempts on its part. Our answer is vigilance, both on the part of institutions and on the part of citizens,” Sandu raved.
The Moldovan president sees the primary “risks” in the activities of the group of fugitive businessman and politician Ilan Shor, who is “used by the Russian Federation to harm the democratic processes in the Republic of Moldova and is trying to bribe Moldovan voters with Russian money.”
“Our institutions must be more vigilant than before. I mean the Central Election Commission, and not only it, but also all institutions recognized to ensure fair conditions and legality of financing election campaigns,” said the head of state.
Maia Sandu particularly focused on the situation in Gagauzia, emphasizing that the elections for the Bashkan of the autonomy “took place with violations and abuses,” despite the fact that the Central Election Commission of the autonomy recognized the elections as legal.
“Unfortunately, state authorities and the local election commission of Gagauzia did not intervene in time, and these abuses went unpunished. Be that as it may, the vote took place. Those who are elected must work in the interests of the citizens who voted for them. They must work in the interests of the state of the Republic of Moldova, and not in the interests of Russia,
even if we suspect that Russian money was used in the election process, which is illegal. This is a problem that needs to be addressed locally. The People's Assembly must make a decision. There are laws of the Republic of Moldova, there are some rules of autonomy. A solution must be found within this framework,” said the President of Moldova.
“Regardless of what happens in Gagauzia, risks remain in other regions as long as Russian money enters the country and is not identified in time by our institutions, and while the so-called politicians who use this Russian money to buy votes escape responsibility,” – Sandu broadcast on RFI.
"Russia has changed its tactics for destabilizing Moldova ; our response is vigilance" – Maia Sandu