The Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in Ireland published on its Facebook page an informational message regarding the parliamentary elections of September 28, but the representative image clearly gave the impression that citizens were being urged to vote for the PAS.
Reactions quickly followed. MP Olesea Stamate, former vice president of the PAS, harshly criticized the incident:
“You are doing what the past leaders did, even though you protested against it. It’s sad but true. From spying on other politicians to using embassies for election campaigns. The Moldovan Embassy in Ireland is now clearly telling us who to vote for on September 28,” Stamate wrote on Facebook.
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately took action and ordered the removal of the image. In a response to REALITATEA.MD, the MFA stressed that it regretted the incident and reminded that “the diplomatic missions of the Republic of Moldova do not and will not engage in activities of a political or electoral nature. Embassies and consulates exercise their duties strictly on the basis of legislation and international norms, in the interest of the state and of our citizens.”
The ministry also said that embassies do not take sides and do not support any political party.