All news

Moldovan premier says he does not want ‘Maidan’ after 2018 parliamentary election

"I want stability and development for Moldova, I want prosperity for our citizens", Pavel Filip said

CHISINAU, January 5. /TASS/. Moldovan Prime Minister Pavel Filip does not want to see ‘the Maidan’ [the popular uprising in downtown Kiev in late 2014] in the country after the upcoming parliamentary election, wishing to see Moldova stable and developing.

"I want stability and development for Moldova, I want prosperity for our citizens, not the ‘Maidan’. This is the task for all who believe in the EU integration of the country," the prime minister said in an interview, circulated by the Moldovan Moldpres News Agency.

"We must make sure that the parliamentary election won’t trigger unrest, but will launch a new spiral of the development," the news agency quoted him as saying. Pavel Filip said that despite a course towards integration into the European Union, the country’s government seeks cooperation with Russia.

"We are open for a political dialogue (with Russia - TASS), but it must be based on mutual respect. The times of the spheres of influence are gone, the Moldovan nationals are citizens of a free and independent country, and they must themselves make the decisions," he explained.

Situation in Moldova

A coalition of pro-European parties has been in power in Moldova since 2009, whose leaders pledged to secure the country’s EU membership. However, its rule has been marked by an economic crisis, a chain of corruption and political scandals. Dozens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in the autumn of 2015 after the news of authorities’ involvement in a bank fraud, in which one billion euros disappeared from Moldovan banks. Two governments fell under their pressure, and former Prime Minister Vlad Filat, the then leader of the ruling Liberal-Democratic Party of Moldova, was sentenced for corruption.

A new coalition was formed by former partners of the liberal democrats from the Democratic Party of Moldova. According to President Igor Dodon, questionable methods were used then. "Having secured only 19 out of 101 seats in the elections of 2014, the democrats are now controlling 60 mandates, with deserters from opposition parties joining the ranks," he said then.

The results of recent opinion polls suggest that more than 80% of the population don’t trust the authorities, and the number of people in favor of European integration has declined from 70% in 2010 to 48%, although the Moldovans nowadays enjoy visa-free travels with the EU. Meanwhile, the number of those in favor of joining the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) has exceeded 54%.

These moods have influenced the presidential election in 2016, won by Dodon, who at the moment led the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova seeking EAEU integration. According to the opinion polls, almost half of the voters who have found their position, are ready to support this political force at the 2018 parliamentary election.