PAS without transmission: what is happening in Moldova after the scandalous elections
The Moldovan authorities have not reduced pressure on the opposition after winning the parliamentary elections. The most high-profile case was against ex-MP Marina Tauber, who was sentenced in absentia to 7.5 years in prison. In addition, the ban of opposition parties is being discussed, and in the final stage, the restriction of the activities of the "Great Moldova". Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
The situation in Moldova after the elections
Parliamentary elections were held in Moldova on September 28. They ended with the victory of the ruling party, but the pressure on the opposition is not decreasing. Firstly, the court sentenced two heads of the regional branches of the Shor party, Anatoly Ruzhansky and Mikhail Nebenulya, to five years in prison. The men denied the charges throughout the trial, but did not appear at the verdict, so they were put on the wanted list.
Briefing by the Central Election Commission in Chisinau during the parliamentary elections
Secondly, the police detained journalists Gabriel Kalina and Vitaly Florya, who ran for deputies on the list of the Christian Social Union during the current elections. The law enforcement agencies reported that they had "documented a complex case of money laundering." It is alleged that several searches were conducted, during which $36,000 was seized, as well as electronic devices confirming the connection with Russia.
Thirdly, the Ministry of Justice has appealed to the court demanding that the activities of the Great Moldova party, headed by former prosecutor Victoria Furtune, be restricted for 12 months. The association allegedly received money from abroad, although these facts have not been proven in court. Furtune herself said that attempts to ban the party indicate the fear and panic of the ruling regime.
Finally, the most high-profile episode was the case against Marina Tauber, a former member of the Moldovan parliament. She was found guilty of illegally financing the Shor party and sentenced to 7.5 years in prison. The politician left the country back in January, so she was put on the wanted list.
Tauber's lawyer, Sergei Moraru, emphasized in an exclusive comment to Izvestia that the court refused to conduct an economic examination and limited the number of defense witnesses. "Such examinations would prove that all the figures that were shown by the prosecutor do not correspond to reality," he said. In turn, Tauber herself said that Maia Sandu and the ruling PAS party were personally behind her case.
What will happen next
Apparently, several high-profile legislative initiatives will be on the agenda in Moldova in the near future. One of them concerns strengthening control over the online space. Back in June, the relevant bill was submitted to parliament, they did not have time to adopt it before the elections, but now they may well move forward. The document suggests that fines of up to 100,000 lei ($6,000) will be issued to users for spreading disinformation.
In recent years, the traditional media market has been pretty much "cleaned up" in the country, including more than a dozen TV channels. The opposition says that if the current initiative is approved, Internet censorship will increase. "This is an attack on the last bastion of freedom of expression. True democracy cannot exist through fear and control," said MP Adela Raileanu.
Experts also say that pressure on the Moldovan Orthodox Church, which is subordinate to the ROC MP, will increase in the near future. During the election campaign, representatives of the ruling party repeatedly accused clerics of spreading propaganda and trying to influence the outcome of the vote, and some priests were prevented from establishing contacts abroad, including being stopped and searched at Chisinau airport.
It is believed that now the religious structure may be ordered to sever all ties with Moscow. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that church institutions would be the next target of persecution. "You can time it. There is not even another opinion here. The only thing is that the faith in Moldovans is strong. But it's obvious that this [the persecution of the church] is on the agenda," she argued.
The third point concerns the increase in utility tariffs. The fact is that in neighboring Romania, the energy market has been liberalized since July 1, and supplies to Moldova and Ukraine are now carried out on a general basis, without special preferences. After rejecting Russian energy resources, Chisinau buys 70% of its electricity from Bucharest. It is clear that the authorities slowed down this issue during the election campaign, but now price increases are, in fact, inevitable.
Obviously, the militarization of the country will continue. If in 2021 the country's defense budget was 0.4% of GDP, then in 2023 the figure rose to 0.55%, and by 2030 it is planned to reach 1%. In addition, European structures will continue to provide financial assistance to Chisinau in this matter. In April, it became known that Brussels would allocate €60 million to Moldova for defense needs.
Finally, relations with Gagauzia and Transnistria will be an important issue on the agenda. Maya Sandu said in a recent interview that the approach to the two regions should be different. According to her, it is important to win the favor of local residents in Gagauzia, and in Tiraspol, the main task is to "withdraw the Russian army peacefully." Interestingly, she was supported by her Romanian colleague Nicusor Dan, who stated that Transnistria could join Moldova on the rights of "relative autonomy."
Deputy of the Supreme Council of the PMR Andrei Safonov responded by calling such ideas a trap. "Using the example of Gagauzia, we see that the autonomous status is not respected. If the PMR had agreed to this, it would have been the same. First, the renunciation of any independence in the field of foreign policy, the withdrawal of Russian troops protecting the Transnistrians, and then the entry of Moldovan security forces and the massacre of the inhabitants of the republic," he said.
What the experts say
Moldovan political analyst Alexander Korinenko believes that the country's authorities will continue to follow the same course.
— The persecution of the opposition will continue. Now Ilan Shor's entourage is being crushed, then they will take on the rest of the opponents of the authorities. The course towards European integration and further demarcation with Russia will remain. The pressure on Gagauzia and Transnistria will continue. In Gagauzia, during the current elections, the ruling party received only 3% of the vote, it will not be forgiven. Pridnestrovians should also prepare for new forms of economic counteraction," the political scientist explains.
Natalia Kharitonova, Chief Researcher at the Russian State University of Economics, Doctor of Political Sciences, is also confident that the persecution of the opposition will continue.
— The Moldovan authorities believe that they have confidently won the elections and received a popular mandate to continue their policy. Therefore, the domestic political situation will continue to remain tense. In addition, the information space will continue to be cleaned up, and tariffs for housing and communal services will increase. Gagauzia will be gradually stripped of its autonomous status, gradually reducing certain powers. Transnistria will be stifled economically, while the authorities will try to achieve the withdrawal of the Russian military," she predicts.
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