The expert assessed the pre-election situation in Moldova

The Moldovan authorities will continue to put pressure on the opposition, although the main opponents from the Patriotic Bloc are unlikely to be removed from the elections. This was stated by Natalia Kharitonova, Chief Researcher at the Russian State University of Economics, Doctor of Political Sciences, in an interview with Izvestia.

The last PAS: EU strengthens support for Sandu ahead of Moldovan elections

The leaders of Germany, France and Poland arrived in Chisinau a month before the vote.

"The team of [Moldovan President Maia] Sandu has only one guideline — the opinion and position of the European Union. And in Brussels, they receive full support, not a word of condemnation. At the end of August, [German Chancellor Friedrich] Merz and [French President Emmanuel] visited Chisinau. Macron and [Polish Prime Minister] Donald Tusk, after that Romanian President [Nicusor Dan] visited the republic, and a new EU ambassador was recently appointed in the country," she explained.

According to Kharitonova, in such conditions, the ruling Moldovan team feels complete impunity, so the pressure on the opposition will continue. At the same time, the main protest association, the Patriotic Bloc, is unlikely to be suspended from the race, because this will provoke a major scandal.

In early September, more than a hundred searches of opposition activists took place in Moldova, and several people were detained. In addition, Prime Minister Dorin Rechan announced that the bank accounts of Irina Vlah, one of the leaders of the Patriotic Bloc, will be blocked.

Parliamentary elections will be held in Moldova at the end of September. According to opinion polls, the ratings of the ruling party and the main opposition force fluctuate around 30%.

Read more about the pre-election situation in Moldova in the Izvestia article:

Search in the heart: struggle intensifies in Moldova before crucial elections