MOSCOW, November 7. /TASS/. The enmity between the people and the government in Moldova is growing as the situation remains tense after the recent presidential election, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

The diplomat pointed out that "the Moldovans' already shaken confidence in the authorities was further undermined by numerous violations and irregularities that accompanied the election campaign and voting."

"The situation in Moldova remains tense after the election. The opposition has announced plans to challenge the election results. The enmity between the people and the government in Moldova is growing. It is telling that immediately after the results were summarized, [re-elected President] Maia Sandu rushed to express special thanks for the support of Moldovan voters in North America and Western Europe, to whose votes, as in 2020, she owes her victory," Zakharova pointed out. "In response, in Moldova itself, where the incumbent leader conceded to her opponent, people nicknamed Maia Sandu ‘the diaspora president’ and called on her compatriots abroad who voted for her to take her back to their country."

"This is just one of the lines of division in society," the diplomat emphasized.

Obstacles to voters

According to Zakharova, "it is also outrageous that the authorities practically deprived the nearly half a million Moldovan diaspora in Russia of the right to vote."

"Only two polling stations were opened in our country, where 10,000 people were able to vote. This is nothing but bullying," the diplomat emphasized. "A special cynicism is that many Russian Moldovans who decided to go to Moldova to vote were deprived of this opportunity. Already at the Russian-Latvian border, they were turned back under the pretext of 'threatening the security of the EU,'" she pointed out.

In addition, the spokeswoman said, "media information suggests that the Moldovan authorities also included Transnistrian residents among the 'unreliable' who faced significant logistical difficulties on the day of the vote when trying to reach the polling stations on the right bank of the Dniester River."

Political myopia

"The October 31 decision of the Moldovan Constitutional Court to approve the results of the October 20 constitutional referendum on Moldova's accession to the EU has only added fuel to the fire. The positive result of the vote was achieved by the authorities by a margin of less than one percent through an emergency mobilization of votes from the foreign diaspora," Zakharova continued. "Political analysts assess this step as blatant political myopia and disregard for the opinion of citizens living in Moldova, most of whom voted against European integration," she underscored.

The preamble of the country's constitution now enshrines the "irreversibility of the European course," with accession to the European Union being called a strategic goal. A section on the supremacy of the EU's founding treaties over national legislation has also been added to the main law, the diplomat recalled. According to Zakharova, experts see in this a threat of loss of sovereignty and erosion of Moldova's neutral status, since the "EU course" implies integration into the Western military and political space. "There are also fears that the elevation of European integration to the rank of state ideology will lead to harsher repression of its opponents, who, as the referendum results showed, are the majority in the country," the spokeswoman pointed out.

False promises, economic downturn

"Against this backdrop, it is no wonder that Maia Sandu's November 4 statement that she would be 'president for all' caused a chuckle at best. She made similar promises in 2020. In reality, her first presidential term was marked by repression of the opposition and the media, violation of the rights of Russian-speaking Moldovans, forced Romanianization of the country, division of Moldovans into 'right' and 'wrong'," the diplomat said.

She pointed to the fact that during the years of Sandu's presidency "the country's public debt grew by 58% to $6.3 billion (with a real population of less than 2.5 million people). "According to IMF estimates, it increased by $330 million between January and June of this year alone, and the negative balance of trade exceeded $3 billion. The deterioration of the socio-economic situation has led to a mass exodus of the able-bodied population, especially young people. In 2021-2023, the country's population decreased by 203,000 people," the spokeswoman added.

"I hope that the Moldovan authorities will find the wisdom to turn away from this ruinous path. As we know, the Moldovan people have a strong commitment to true freedom and traditional values, which they have demonstrated throughout their centuries-long history. I am sure that even now Moldovans will find the strength to prevent the imposition of beliefs alien to them," Zakharova emphasized.

Not a threat, but a friend

The spokeswoman underscored that Moldovans consider Russia a friend and reliable partner.

"The real results of the election and the referendum have shown that the people of Moldova do not consider Russia a threat, but still a friend and reliable partner. We appreciate this attitude and support the development of cooperation with the Moldovan people," Zakharova concluded.