President Maia Sandu believes the opposition’s initiative to suspend her from office is linked to Russia’s efforts to prevent the Republic of Moldova from moving closer to the European Union. The head of state said some politicians who backed the initiative are aligning themselves with Moscow’s interests.
Sandu said she reached this conclusion after examining the accusations made against her. In her view, some politicians are also unhappy that she proposed holding a referendum on European integration, allowing citizens to express their position on the country’s future.
“There is no other country in the world that is more upset than Russia about the Republic of Moldova wanting to join the European Union. It is very clear that Russia does not want Moldova to move forward, and we have also seen politicians in the Republic of Moldova aligning themselves with this effort by the Russian Federation,” the president said on Friday, November 6.
The president also commented on a joint statement signed by opposition representatives and sent to diplomatic missions and international organisations. In the document, the signatories expressed concern about the situation in the justice system, the independence of judges and prosecutors, and the way their external evaluation process is being conducted.
Maia Sandu argued that some politicians are also dissatisfied with the departure of several individuals accused of corruption from the justice system. She added that they were allegedly unhappy about the international awards she had received for her efforts to strengthen democracy.
The head of state said she had not kept any of the money awarded through these distinctions and that information about how the funds were used is publicly available.
“It seems that there are politicians in the Republic of Moldova who are upset that several corrupt individuals have left the justice system. I have also seen that they are unhappy about the many international awards I have received for my efforts — and yours — to strengthen democracy.
“The information about these awards has been made public. I have not kept a single penny from these prizes, and information about where the money went is also public. I have said, and I believe we have sufficient evidence, that many of those who signed this document are, unfortunately, people doing Moscow’s bidding,” the president stated.
The initiative to suspend the president was not included on the agenda of Parliament’s November 5 sitting. The Standing Bureau rejected the proposal, while Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu said the document contained no evidence and that the move was actually intended to block Moldova’s European path. The PAS leader described the opposition’s accusations as “shameful and unfounded”.
The impeachment initiative was announced on September 29 by Ion Chicu, an MP from the Alternative political bloc. The proposal was supported by the parliamentary factions of the Party of Communists (PCRM), the Party of Socialists (PSRM), Our Party and Democracy at Home.
The opposition accused the president of repeated and serious violations of the Constitution and national legislation, as well as contributing to what it described as a deterioration in the social, economic and political situation in the Republic of Moldova.