CHISINAU, July 5. /TASS/. Moldova ceased to be a sovereign nation under leadership of President Maia Sandu and the ruling Party of Action, says Igor Dodon, leader of the opposition Party of Socialists.

"At this point, with this leadership, Moldova is not a sovereign nation. I believe that most citizens will agree that the current leadership of the republic works under orders from Western puppeteers," he said in his Telegram channel Wednesday, noting that "sovereignty is when state bodies make decisions in the interest of the people."

According to Dodon, opinion polls show that people are dissatisfied with the authorities, which means that they make decisions not in the interest of the people.

Last summer, protests started in Moldova, organized by the opposition, which accuses Sandu of falling living standards and inability to deal with the sharp economic crisis. The protesters point to food, gas and power prices that increased multifold, to the highest inflation in the last 20 years, which currently stands at 30%. According to polls, about 70% of Moldovan citizens are disappointed by the authorities’ policies and almost 65% support the idea of change of government. In February, the government of Natalia Gavrilita was dismissed and replaced by the cabinet of Dorin Recean.