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West turns blind eye to Moldovan government’s unlawful acts amid conflict in Ukraine

President Maia Sandu and her ruling Party of Action and Solidarity enjoy total support from the West, because, against the backdrop of the conflict in Ukraine, Igor Dodon said

CHISINAU, December 28. /TASS/. Amid the conflict in Ukraine, West keeps turning a blind eye to all lawless acts committed by the government of neighboring Moldova in a bid to keep them in power, Moldovan ex-president Igor Dodon told TASS on Tuesday.

"President Maia Sandu and her ruling Party of Action and Solidarity enjoy total support from the West, because, against the backdrop of the conflict in Ukraine, Western powers are ready to turn a blind eye to any lawless act committed by the Moldovan government. No government has ever been given such a free hand to run our country, not even previous US-and EU-backed governments formed by coalitions of pro-European parties," he said. "The West profits from the anti-Russian course of the current Moldovan government, which they conduct to the detriment of the country’s people."

"It is obvious to everyone that the approval rating of the president and the ruling party has plunged below the critical point due to economic and other failures, and that they have no chance of winning the presidential, parliamentary and municipal elections again. They realize this, too, and are now creating the basis for a future election fraud, in an attempt to try and cling to power," Dodon added.

Moldova's pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity Party came to power during the 2021 elections and now controls the Moldovan parliament and government. Thousands of opposition protesters and people who were unhappy with declining living standards took to the streets in the country this past summer. They accused the government of a failure to overcome the crisis, complained about the soaring prices for food, natural gas, electricity and the worst inflation in the past 20 years, which reached 34% year on year. The government also came under fire for balking at holding talks with Russia to receive lower gas prices and for putting pressure on the opposition.

Earlier this month, the Moldovan government’s emergency commission suspended the broadcasting licenses of six Russian-language television channels for what they described as incorrect coverage of events in Ukraine. The commission said that the channels in question were Primul in Moldova, RTR-Moldova, Accent TV, NTV-Moldova, TV-6, and Orhei TV. Moscow urged relevant international organizations to give a proper assessment to the move and take corresponding measures, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

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