The Moldovan president accused Russia of bribing voters in the upcoming elections by transferring money to pro-Moscow political parties.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu said on November 1 that Russia had transferred nearly $5 million in the past two months to fund "criminal groups," including the Shor Party founded by exiled businessman Ilan Shor, in order to help pro-Russian parties gain favorable results in the upcoming local elections.
"Russia used to bribe Moldovan officials," Sandu said, referring to corruption scandals in the country before her 2020 election. "Now that's no longer possible, they've turned to bribing Moldovan citizens."
The Moldovan president claimed that some of his citizens "went to Moscow to receive money," but offered no evidence.
Sandu urged voters to cast their ballots for her allies in the November 5 election to support her vision of Moldova shifting toward a pro-European stance and joining the European Union (EU).
Moldovan President Maia Sandu attends a conference in Prague, Czech Republic on October 16. Photo: AFP
Responding to the Moldovan president's accusations, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said today that Sandu is "a disgrace to the country and a major threat to the Moldovan people."
According to Zakharova, Moscow is monitoring the situation ahead of the elections and believes that the Moldovan government is trying to exaggerate the threat from Russia to distract domestic public opinion from its own mismanagement.
"The Moldovan authorities continue to suppress dissenting opinions and crack down on political opponents," the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson emphasized.
Tensions between Russia and Moldova escalated after Moscow launched an operation in Ukraine in late February 2022. Moldova's pro-Western government condemned Russia's move.
In February, President Sandu accused Russia of wanting to incite violence in Moldova to overthrow her government and replace it with a pro-Moscow ruling group. Russia rejected the accusation, calling the information "completely unfounded."
Last month, Moldova suspended the activities of the pro-Russian Shor party on the grounds of "unconstitutionality," a move criticized by Russia. On November 2nd, Zakharova stated that the Moldovan Central Election Commission had refused to recognize six Russian observers participating in the election monitoring mission conducted by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Moldova described the move as aimed at protecting the integrity of the elections, while Russia said the decision violated international obligations and was "an expression of an anti-Russian stance." Moscow stated it would take action if Moldova did not reverse its decision.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova at a press briefing in Moscow in April. Photo: AFP
This weekend's election is seen as a test for Sandu's efforts to lean towards Europe. "It is important that people vote for candidates who will pursue Moldova's pro-European policies and not stand in the way," the Moldovan president said.
Prior to the election, Moldova blocked access to major Russian news sites. Moscow criticized this move as an attempt to prevent Moldovan citizens from accessing dissenting views and accused President Sandu of inciting anti-Russian sentiment.
Moldova, a former Soviet republic and now one of the poorest countries in Europe, has a population of nearly 2.6 million. It borders Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. Relations between Russia and Moldova began to deteriorate in 2021, when Natalia Gavrilita took office as prime minister and supported the country's accession to the EU.
Moldova applied to join the EU in April 2022 and was granted candidate status by the 27-member bloc two months later, along with Ukraine. However, it can take a decade or more for candidates to become EU members, due to the numerous criteria required to join the union.
Huyen Le (According to Reuters , RT )
Source link
Comment (0)