Moldovans Fear Sandu May Drag Country Into ‘Someone Else’s’ Military Scenario - Politician
05:33 GMT 11.11.2024 (Updated: 06:44 GMT 11.11.2024)
© Cem Ozdel
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CHISINAU (Sputnik) - Citizens of Moldova fear that the president of the republic, Maia Sandu, will drag the country into someone else's military scenario, former head of Gagauzia and Moldovan presidential candidate Irina Vlah told Sputnik.
On November 3, Moldova held its presidential runoff election, in which the head of state was elected for a four-year term. The contest was between Maia Sandu, the pro-Western incumbent president supported by the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS), and Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor general dismissed by Sandu's government, representing the opposition Party of Socialists and hailing from Gagauzia. Sandu secured 55.33% of the overall votes, while Stoianoglo received 44.67%. However, when only considering the votes cast within the country, Stoianoglo garnered 51.19%, with Sandu close behind at 48.81%.
"People are outraged not only by poverty. This regime has begun the active militarization of Moldova — the budget of the Ministry of Defense has been increased; radars are being purchased; the number of military exercises, including the training of reservists, has increased significantly; weapons and military equipment are constantly being supplied to Moldova in the form of donations. People are afraid that Sandu will drag the country into someone else's military scenario," Vlah said.
She noted that in recent years, statements have been made by representatives of the Moldovan leadership about the preference for joining NATO.
"I am against such a course. According to the Constitution, the Republic of Moldova is a neutral state. By the way, at the beginning of this year I proposed that, along with Maia Sandu's referendum on EU integration, a referendum on non-entry into military alliances be held. Maia Sandu's regime was against it because she knows that the majority of our citizens will never support the country's participation in military alliances," Vlah emphasized.
Sandu Hostile Towards Russia
Restoring Moldova's relations with Russia is impossible while President Maia Sandu is in power in Chisinau, said Irina Vlah, the former head of Gagauzia and a Moldovan presidential candidate.
On November 5, Vlah announced the formation of a new political party named the Heart of Moldova. She emphasized that this party welcomes all individuals who are concerned about the nation's present and future, encouraging those who wish to participate and actively contribute to its salvation.
"The current leadership does not hide its hostile attitude towards Russia. Therefore, as long as this regime is in power, it is impossible to improve relations. Sandu mistakenly believes that if you have good relations with the West, then you must necessarily have bad relations with Russia. We propose a different approach — in foreign policy, Moldova should build relations based on friendship and mutual respect. Moldova should look for friends, not enemies," Vlah said.
According to the politician, in recent years, Moldova's foreign policy has been turned into a tool for promoting the interests of the ruling regime.
"Real interests, which should have become the basis of foreign policy, have been completely ignored. I have always promoted another principle: big countries make big politics, and small countries make smart politics. Moldova should be where the interests of our citizens are, and for this we must reconsider the principles of foreign policy. Moldova should cooperate more actively with the UN, the Council of Europe and the OSCE, develop a strategic partnership with the United States and Russia based on mutual respect for interests," Vlah noted.
Relations between Russia and Moldova began to deteriorate after President Maia Sandu, who adheres to a pro-European policy, came to power in the republic at the end of 2020. Moscow has urged Chisinau to focus on the interests of its own citizens and not to hinder the development of human contacts and interregional ties with Russia. The Russian Foreign Ministry has called on Moldovan authorities to cease their confrontational anti-Russian rhetoric, emphasizing that Moscow seeks friendly relations with Moldova and disapproves of the West using the country for anti-Russian purposes.
EU Referendum Results Are Shameful
The results of the referendum on European integration in Moldova are shameful, it is wrong to change the constitution under these conditions, former head of Gagauzia says.
In the referendum on the issue of Moldova's accession to the EU, held on October 20, 50.46% of the country's citizens voted for European integration, while 49.54% of voters voted against it. As part of the referendum, citizens had to answer one question: "Do you support changing the constitution with the aim of the Republic of Moldova joining the European Union?"
"This is a shameful result for Maia Sandu, and it is obvious that under such conditions it would be wrong to change the constitution. The referendum was a failure of Maia Sandu's regime, even if they are proud of the fact that it passed with a small majority. When the difference between those who supported the idea of including European integration in the constitution and those who were against it was only a few tenths of a percent, we can say that this was a slap in the face from the people to Maia Sandu, who proposed this idea," Vlah said.
She drew attention to the fact that if about 100,000 citizens who boycotted the referendum had taken ballots, the percentage of those who said "no" to changing the constitution for the sake of European integration would have been significantly higher.
"But Maia Sandu is only concerned with her own interests, and she does not care that her adventure was supported by less than a quarter of citizens who have the right to vote," the politician noted.
On October 31, the Constitutional Court of Moldova recognized the results of the referendum, in which the country's residents supported changing the constitution for the sake of European integration. The preamble to the constitution was supplemented with two new parts with the following content: "affirming the European identity of the people of the Republic of Moldova and the irreversibility of the European course of the Republic of Moldova", "declaring accession to the European Union a strategic goal of the Republic of Moldova". The amendments officially entered into force on November 5.
Moldova's Economy Must Be Saved
Vlah also said that Moldova's economy needs to be saved, adding that she has a program with specific proposals.
The politician announced the formation of a new political party called the Heart of Moldova on November 5. She noted that the party would welcome everyone who cared about the country's present and future, as well as those who wanted to take part and make a direct contribution to its salvation.
"In recent years, things have really gotten dire in Moldova. Investors are leaving, industrial production is declining, agriculture is in decline, the construction sector is stagnating, and freight traffic is declining year after year. In short, the economy needs to be urgently saved, and we have already developed a program with specific solutions," Vlah said.
The program provides for specific measures to stimulate and protect domestic private investment and attract foreign capital, she said.
"We propose introducing a flexible and differentiated tax policy, support for the manufacturing industry and the IT sector, and facilitating the creation of small and medium-sized enterprises in rural areas," Vlah explained.
She noted that these were just some of the points in the economic program.
"But there are many more, and they reflect our vision of economic development in the short, medium and long term. Moldova's economy can still be saved, and we will act decisively in this direction," the politician emphasized.
Moldova has been experiencing an economic crisis since 2021, which is aggravated by rising inflation and energy prices. In 2022, inflation reached a record 30.2%, while gas tariffs increased almost sevenfold, and electricity tariffs almost quadrupled. In 2023, inflation was 13.4%. Rising energy prices led to increased utility debts and anti-government protests.
Getting Rid of Maia Sandu Regime
The parliamentary elections in Moldova in 2025 give an opportunity to get rid of the regime of the President Maia Sandu, Vlah said.
"For the people, the rule of this government has led to catastrophic consequences — hundreds of thousands of citizens were forced to leave, the state debt has almost doubled, the economy is destroyed, the justice system does not work, there is no need to talk about compliance with democratic principles. The parliamentary elections of 2025 give us a real opportunity to get rid of the incompetent government that allowed the current situation," Vlah said.
In her view, Sandu's loss in the vote count inside the country was anticipated; she was unlikely to win the elections in the republic.
"Since she and the PAS gained full power, the standard of living of our citizens has only decreased. Therefore, it is quite logical that the majority of those who live in Moldova voted against this president. She was saved by citizens from the diaspora, who, being abroad, do not feel the destructive consequences of her rule. Therefore, more and more people in Moldova say that Maia Sandu is not the president of the Republic of Moldova, she is the president of the Moldovan diaspora abroad. If Sandu had at least a little pride and dignity, she would resign," Vlah emphasized.
The next parliamentary elections in Moldova are scheduled for the summer of 2025.
