CHISINAU, July 12. /TASS/. Moldovan President Maia Sandu and her Action and Solidarity Party have intensified their persecution of the opposition in an effort to prevent it from winning the parliamentary elections in September, Marina Tauber, a member of the Moldovan parliament and executive secretary of the Victory political bloc’s executive committee, told TASS, commenting on the prosecutor’s office's demand to sentence her to 13 years in prison.

"The persecution of the real opposition is a hallmark of the Sandu regime," she said. "This process has been accelerated ahead of the elections in order to secure a favorable campaign environment and ensure victory in parliament by unjust means. The authorities are also seeking to imprison the legitimate, popularly elected head of Gagauzia, Eughenia Gutsul, for nine years. I state unequivocally: any prosecution against me and my colleagues is a form of political reprisal."

Tauber added that the Moldovan authorities fear fair competition because, under truly democratic conditions, they would lose power. She emphasized that Sandu’s approval ratings remain very low, while ordinary citizens are merely struggling to survive.

"People clearly remember her pre-election promises, but they also see the reality: none of those promises have been fulfilled," she noted. "Moreover, the country has fallen into decay. The economy has been destroyed, and sectors such as industry, agriculture, and many others are barely surviving," Tauber concluded.