Moldovan prime minister accuses Russia of using country’s election to ‘take power’

Chisinau, Moldova (AP) – The Prime Minister of Moldova, Dorin Remean, warned on Wednesday that Russia spent hundreds of millions of euros to “take power” during a pivot parliamentary election which could derail the country’s price towards the European Union.

REAAN’s remarks occurred a few days before the elections on Sunday, when the Moldovans vote to choose a new legislature of 101 seats in a ballot that many choices as a choice between East and West.

“The Republic of Moldova is in an electoral campaign. The Russian Federation is also in an electoral campaign,” he said in an address after a government session. “It’s just that we campaign in our country, and the Russian Federation wants to campaign not in its own country, but in our country.”

Recean accused the Kremlin of trying to “take power in Chisinau, violating the sovereign will of the Moldovans.

“It is not an ordinary electoral battle,” he said. “It is a seat on our country.”

Prime Minister’s allegations

Revean has described several ways that Russia would try to take control of Moldova and reduce support for the action party and pro-European solidarity, or AP. The party won a clear majority in the legislative elections of 2021, but risks losing it on Sunday, without other viable pro-European alternatives on the ballot.

They allegedly understood to orchestrate a program to buy large -scale votes, leading more than 1,000 cyber attacks against the government infrastructure yet this year, a plan to encourage riots around Sunday elections and an online sprawl disinformation campaign to influence voters.

Moscow has repeatedly denied interference in Moldova. Revean’s remarks also one day came after Russia’s foreign intelligence service alleged that European politicians were trying to make sure that Moldova remained in accordance with its own “Russian policies”.

The geopolitical change west of Moldova in recent years has annoyed Moscow and the tensions between the two countries have grown considerably. Moldova was a Soviet Republic until it proclaimed independence in 1991.

In the wake of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine Russia in 2022, Moldova asked to join the EU and obtained the status of candidate that year. Brussels agreed to open membership negotiations last year.

Since then, the Moldovan authorities have accused Russia of carrying out a hybrid war in an attempt to derail the path of the EU of the country by mixing in the elections, illegally funding pro-Russian parties and by putting large disinformation campaigns to voters before the elections.

Pro-Russian oligarch accused of interference

A key figure of the alleged campaign to destabilize Moldova is the fugitive pro-Russian oligarch Ilan Shor, which was sentenced in 2023 for fraud and money laundering in a case of $ 1 billion from Moldovan banks in 2014.

“There is evidence, including telephone listening, which prove that the purchase of votes is funded by the Russian Federation,” said Revean. “The instrument is the criminal shor group, and the beneficiaries are several electoral competitors.”

Before the elections, the Moldovan authorities carried out hundreds of searches and owned dozens of suspects.

Only this week, this week, 74 people were detained during 250 raids in the context of an alleged investigation supported by Russia to encourage “mass riots” and destabilize the country, and one was detained on the financing of a political party which allegedly linked to Russia through cryptocurrencies.

“The growing proof of the subversive actions of Russia is increasingly worrying in society. I assure you of one thing: the state of the Republic of Moldova resists,” said Remean. “We are not only resisting, but we ride firmly and we will thwart the Russian occupation plan.”

“Dear citizens, the final battle is waged for the future of our country,” he added. “And I urge you all to participate with an honest vote.”

The friendly block of Russia holds a rally in the capital

During a rally on Wednesday organized by the Patriotic Electoral Bloc of the opposition adapted to Russia, or BEP, in the center of the capital of Moldova, Chisinau, dozens have chanted “Down with not” and “Down with Maia Sandu”, referring to the President Pro-Wester of Moldova.

The BEP is made up of a group of political parties and has campaigned on good relations with the EU and the ties of “normalization” with Russia. He used the rhetoric of Moldova, as the defense of national interest by supporting local agriculture and protecting jobs.

The Wednesday event was billed a “peace rally”.

A sign said: “Not in the past 4 years: not a word on peace.”

Nichita Romenschi, a 22 -year -old candidate on Sunday for the BEP, told the Associated Press that his party would work for “sovereignty and independence” for Moldova.

“Neutrality is the security of security for us,” said Romenschi. “Moldova must have good relations with everyone … with the EU and Russia. We want the government to have a human face and politicians are directed to the quality of simple people. ”

Grigore Novac, deputy for Parliament for the Socialist party, said that “absolutely no one should intervene in the electoral process” in Moldova.

“No one from Russia has come here to Moldova to … deliver a kind of messages, while European structures, we saw a series of them,” said Grigore. “This shows that there is an interference in the electoral campaign on their part, and this is prohibited by electoral laws.”

Last month, the leaders of France, Germany and Poland went to Moldova in a demonstration of support to mark the country’s 34 years of independence from the Soviet Union.