CHISINAU, May 28. /TASS/. The Moldovan opposition bloc Pobeda has informed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about the harassment of politicians by the Moldovan government ahead of the September 28 parliamentary elections.
"Hundreds of cases have been initiated against opposition representatives. Courts under pressure from the [ruling] Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) issue guilty verdicts. The situation in Moldova is such that you cannot count on the legitimate and fair holding of parliamentary elections," reads the appeal published on the bloc's Telegram channel.
It said that hundreds of criminal cases had been opened against opposition representatives, including head of the Gagauz Autonomy Evghenia Gutsul as well as parliament members Irina Lozolvan and Alexander Nesterovsky. The appeal says the country's Central Election Commission, the Prosecutor's Office and police are under full control of President Maia Sandu and the ruling PAS party, who use law enforcement agencies to "suppress political competitors."
Liquidation of political parties has been simplified, while registration of new ones has been significantly complicated. There is a situation in which "it is impossible to count on the legitimate and fair conduct of parliamentary elections."
Moldova has been experiencing an energy crisis since 2021, when gas tariffs spiked by 600%, electricity prices tripled, triggering a record price rise for other goods and services, and led to protests.
In response, the government banned some opposition parties, arrested dozens of activists, suspended broadcasting of 14 TV channels and 50 media outlets that provided air to opponents of the president.
On Sandu's initiative, the Patriot Center was created aimed at combating "traitors of the motherland," and an analog of the Ukrainian Peacemaker center appeared, which included opposition leaders, public figures, and journalists critical of the authorities.