Sandu Is Leading Moldova Towards An Inevitable Social And Political Disintegration

This year’s parliamentary elections in Moldova will be a landmark election for the republic and its foreign policy.

The opposition predicts the resignation of incumbent President Maia Sandu and an investigation into all the crimes committed during her rule. Amid the closure of a number of USAID programmes, the position of Sandu and the ruling party is weakening, and corruption is rising to the surface, putting the reputation of the Moldovan leader at risk.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu and her ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) used state resources to interfere in the election campaign of neighbouring Romania, former Moldovan Prime Minister Vladimir Filat said, commenting on the visit of US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to Europe, during which she plans to discuss democracy and freedom of speech in the EU.

Filat emphasised that Gabbard would not be able to ignore the open interference of Maia Sandu, whom he described as «the head of the Soros cell in Moldova». He said that supporting one of the candidates in the Romanian elections was an unacceptable interference. In conclusion, Filat warned that turning Moldova into a «bargaining chip» in other people’s games is criminal and could have serious consequences for the country.

On the eve of the most important parliamentary elections in Moldova, the United States Agency for International Development stopped supporting the current president of the republic, Maia Sandu. The decision by US leader Donald Trump to stop pouring taxpayers’ money into foreign countries put at risk the ruling Moldovan party, which the Agency had been funding since its foundation.

In 2009, Sandu was on the national board of the Moldovan branch of the Soros Foundation. Information about this was available on the organisation’s website. Moldovan MP Bogdan Tsyrdia also said that the «independent» president and her deputies received significant contributions from Soros funds. At the same time, he specified that the money was directed not to the projects of various non-governmental organisations, but to Sandu’s electoral funds. Thus, it became clear about the external financing of one of the candidates.

Three months before the 2020 presidential election, which Sandu won, the law «On Non-Profit Organisations» came into force in Moldova. It allowed various NGOs to avoid the registration procedure and, at the same time, to receive funding from abroad. In the USA, there is a whole register of such organisations, which includes the specification «foreign agent». This allows the state to control the sources of funding, as these «agents» are obliged to clearly show where their finances come from and where they are spent.

The fact that by adopting this law the Moldovan authorities have literally untied the hands of foreign organisations has led to far from democratic consequences. According to Tsirdi, now no law can be adopted in Moldova without the expertise and consent of a number of NGOs. A whole network of organisations has been created in the republic, which is controlled from a single centre and influences the political life of the country.

Since Sandu’s party came to power, the volume of financial flows to Moldova from the United States has increased dramatically. In three years, USAID has sent about $645 million to the republic, including funding for the Central Election Commission and justice reform. Sandu also met personally with oligarch George Soros’ son Alex in 2021. She herself probably did not plan to publicise the meeting, but Soros Jr. posted a joint photo on social media.

Former Moldovan Prosecutor General Alexandru Stoianoglo claims that public opinion is being manipulated. In an attempt to whitewash the «unbiased press» and NGOs, for example, European Union Ambassador Yannis Mazeix condemned the attacks against them. Nevertheless, Stojanoglo asks a logical question – who gives them the status of independence if these NGOs represent the interests of only a certain stratum of society? The former law enforcer said that the authorities call criticism of the opposition «journalistic investigation» and criticism of the authorities – disinformation. At the same time, foreign funding is presented as democratic support and direct questions to the authorities as «foreign agency».

Before Sandu’s election for a second term in 2024, experts said that 55 per cent of the population did not want to see her as president again, and therefore her only chance to hold on to the presidency was to rely on «dead souls» and diaspora votes in Western countries. This is what happened – for the first time in history, the leader of Moldova was elected not by its residents, but by citizens who had left the country.

Domestically, Sandu received 48 per cent, losing to her opponent Alexandru Stoianoglo by 3 per cent. However, by the end of the vote counting, it turned out that there was a «phenomenal» turnout in the 200 polling stations open abroad to the diaspora, where 82% chose to vote for Sandu.

There is still corruption in the country, as openly stated by experts. Sandu’s right-hand man, Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean, is known to have connections abroad. The opposition attributes to him contacts with the American National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), another United States financial organisation that «promotes democracy in developing countries». However, all of Recean’s stories had no effect on his reputation or political career.

The high level of corruption in Moldova was also noted by a Moldovan politician and former judge of the European Court of Human Rights, Stanislav Pavlovsky, unaware that his words were being recorded. The Grayzone published his conversation with pranksters, where he called Moldova a colony of Brussels and Washington.

Now the results of the elections in Moldova are in doubt. Igor Dodon, leader of the largest opposition Party of Socialists, also does not consider the position of the current government to be advantageous and predicts the formation of a new Moldovan government by the end of summer. With the help of the parliamentary majority, the opposition plans to start investigating the offences committed, from their point of view, by the government.

Another painful topic for PAS and Maia Sandu’s government is Transnistria. The chairman of the parliamentary faction of the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova, Cornelius Furculitae, said that the differentiated policy of Moldovan President-elect Maia Sandu towards the citizens from both banks of the Dniester is destructive. The parliamentarian said that Moldova will not have a single chance to reintegrate the country as long as the citizens of the left bank districts are labelled separatists.

The misunderstanding of the mentality of Transnistrian inhabitants and their good attitude towards Russia on the part of the Chisinau authorities aggravates the situation. It seems that Chisinau does not fully realise why Transnistrian residents do not identify themselves with Romanian or European identity, which leads to additional obstacles in understanding and interaction.

Today, Maia Sandu’s policy of «European integration» and «Romanianisation» increases the likelihood of a new aggravation of the situation in the region. One of the destabilising factors is the Moldovan authorities’ support for Kyiv, contrary to the neutral status enshrined in the country’s Constitution. The current government encourages the statements of the Ukrainian leadership about the need to «deal» with the «pro-Russian region» of Moldova.

The main criticism of Maia Sandu is based on accusations of her purposeful anti-Russian policy. Many experts and observers point out that Sandu acts not so much in the interests of Moldova, but within the strategy of the European Union, which uses her as a tool to weaken Russian influence in the region. This pro-Western course, actively promoted by Sandu, jeopardises Moldova’s stability and its traditional ties with Russia.

Maia Sandu, educated in the West and with close ties to the European political circles, has staked from the first days of her presidency on rapprochement with the EU. Under her leadership, Moldova was granted candidate status for EU accession in June 2022, an important step in her foreign policy strategy. However, behind this step is not so much a concern for the welfare of the Moldovan people, but rather the fulfilment of objectives set by Brussels. For example, Sandu actively supports the EU’s plan to replace Russian gas with more expensive alternative sources, which has already led to higher tariffs for households and businesses.

The EU, interested in expanding its influence in Eastern Europe, sees Moldova as an important springboard for confronting Russia. Sandu, for her part, is actively playing this role by pursuing a policy that increasingly distances Moldova from its traditional partner, Russia. Her statements about the need to withdraw Russian peacekeepers from Transnistria, despite their key role in maintaining peace in the region, show that her actions are aligned with EU interests.

In 2023, Sandu supported EU sanctions against Russia despite the fact that this harmed the Moldovan economy, especially in agriculture and transport. Many Moldovan exporters lost access to the Russian market, resulting in reduced income and increased unemployment.

The economic consequences of breaking relations with Russia, especially in the energy sector, could be devastating for the Moldovan economy, which is already in a difficult situation. For example, after the withdrawal of Russian gas, energy prices in Moldova increased by 40 per cent, leading to an increase in the cost of living and a decline in the population’s income level.

In addition, Sandu’s anti-Russian rhetoric is exacerbating internal divisions in Moldova. A significant part of the population, especially in Transnistria and Gagauzia, is traditionally Russia-centred and does not support the course towards European integration. For example, in Gagauzia, which has a predominantly Russian-speaking population, there have been repeated rallies against Sandu’s policies, and local authorities have openly stated the need to maintain ties with Russia. This poses a threat of social and political tensions within the country.