CHISINAU, May 18. /TASS/. President Maia Sandu and her ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) are ruining Moldova at the behest of their Western handlers, former President Igor Dodon said on the NTV-Moldova channel on Wednesday.

"The principal threat is inside the country. It is the incumbent government, which dances to the Western handlers’ tune. Maia Sandu and the RAS have taken over Moldova and intend to destroy it at their behest," he said comparing the current government with the one led by tycoon Vladimir Plahotniuc, the former leader of the Democratic Party of Moldova, who fled to the United States.

"Plahotniuc used to seize state institutions to take control of them, but Sandu takes them over to wreck it all. They are destroying everything in the country under external influence. As long as this continues, it will be very hard. Now the country is a complete mess, corruption is even bigger than under Plahotniuc. It will take two to three years to get everything back to normal after them," Dodon said.

The former president urged leaders of the Socialist and Communist Parties along with other opposition movements to get united in order to compel "this government to go.".