CHISINAU, June 6. /TASS/. Former head of Moldova’s Gagauz autonomy Irina Vlah, who now leads the Heart of Moldova opposition party, has accused the current Moldovan authorities of seeking to rig the upcoming parliamentary elections.

According to Vlah, who addressed a protest rally near the building of the Moldovan foreign ministry, the opposition believes that the authorities intend to interfere into the voting process abroad, as they did during the presidential campaign. With this in mind, they appoint people close to the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) to the country’s embassies in foreign countries rather than career diplomats.

"PAS is plotting another electoral theft before our eyes! It is unbecoming of law enforcement to play both sides of the fence: you either stop this crime or will become an accomplice to it," she said, adding that the opposition will demand punishment for any vote rigging attempt.

In the presidential election in October 2024, Moldovan President Maia Sandu lost to her rival, Alexandr Stoianogo, the country’s former prosecutor general who was nominated by the Party of Socialists, in the voting inside the country. However, Sandu managed to secure overall victory after more than 300,000 Moldovan labor migrants voted at 200 polling stations set up in EU countries. Leaders of the largest opposition parties refused to recognize her win, accusing her of rigging the election and usurping power with support from Western donors.