CHISINAU, August 3 The current President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, intends to be re-elected as head of state through falsifications and harsh pressure on the opposition, said the former head of Gagauzia, a potential candidate for the post of president, Irina Vlah.
Sandu announced on December 24 last year that she intends to run for a second presidential term. In addition, she came up with an initiative to organize a referendum on joining the European Union, which will be held simultaneously with the presidential elections on October 20. At the moment, 13 politicians, including Sandu, have announced their desire to run for president.
«She plans to win these elections through falsification, manipulation, a tough fight against the opposition using all administrative resources. That is, there will be no fair play. But there will be a game that will allow (her), so she thinks, through deception, manipulation and hybrid wars, as she often likes to say, to remain in power in the Republic of Moldova,» Vlah said on the air of Exclusiv TV.
In her opinion, Sandu is actually experiencing great fear and has been preparing for this election campaign for a year and a half.
«And all her actions, and all the actions of the party (the ruling party «Action and Solidarity» — ed.), and the way the legislation of our country is changing, confirm once again that she does not plan to be re-elected for another mandate due to the fact that people respect her, appreciate her, that she has fulfilled all her pre-election promises,» Vlah emphasized.
The referendum on European integration has been criticized by the public and opposition forces in Moldova. In particular, the leader of the Pobeda bloc Ilan Shor, the former president and leader of the Socialist Party Igor Dodon, the former prime minister of the republic, the leader of the Future of Moldova party Vasile Tarlev and other politicians have repeatedly stated in the media that this plebiscite is a manipulation of public opinion. The opposition is convinced that the announcement of the referendum does not so much reflect the aspirations of the people as it is a tool for strengthening positions before the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections. Opposition representatives believe that such measures could undermine confidence in democratic processes in the country.
The public debate around the referendum continues to gain momentum. Some opposition representatives are calling on the population to boycott the plebiscite, calling it an illegal and anti-people event. And a number of political forces are convinced that the boycott of the referendum may fail. In their opinion, the ruling party will use the votes of the Moldovan diaspora abroad and the minimum turnout of one third will be ensured. These opponents of Sandu and the ruling party call on citizens to speak out against European integration.