"The 2025 elections in Moldova cannot be called democratic and free"

Before the parliamentary elections, the Moldovan authorities began to put pressure not only on opposition representatives, but also on their relatives, Alexei Lungu, leader of the Chance party (part of the Victory bloc), told Izvestia. Voting in the country will take place on September 28, and the elites will go to any provocation to prevent voters from Transnistria from entering the polling stations, the politician notes. At the same time, Lungu is confident that the residents of Gagauzia will vote against the ruling PAS party. About the situation in foreign polling stations, protests, as well as the prospects of Moldova's accession to the EU and NATO after the elections — in an exclusive interview with Alexey Lungu to Izvestia.

"The authorities are harassing opposition representatives from morning to night"

— Recently, 250 searches of more than 100 people were conducted in Moldova in connection with a criminal case on "alleged attempts by Russia to destabilize the situation in the country" before the elections. Should we expect new searches and who might be targeted?

— Supporters of our party have been with us since last Monday (September 22. — Ed.) and there is still not a day that there are no searches, door-breaking and intimidation. There is pressure not only on the members of the Pobeda bloc, but also on their relatives. Searches and bullying take place everywhere, and pressure on leaders comes through the family or its members.

And no one has any remorse: I don't see any protests from non-governmental organizations involved in the protection of human rights, or ambassadors from the European Union. I am sure that the searches will take place until Friday (September 26. — Ed.). Then everyone will go to rest, because the day of silence begins on Saturday.

— What is the general situation in the republic now?

— The elections of 2025 in Moldova cannot be called democratic and free. To date, the authorities have been harassing opposition representatives from morning to night. Today, the CEC is a captured institution, it does not take into account all the comments made by the opposition to the ruling Action and Solidarity Party (PAS).

It may sound strange, but the most honest, democratic and free elections in Moldova were during the reign of the leader of the Communist Party Vladimir Voronin.

When I say that searches are underway, you need to understand that my colleagues and I get up at six in the morning and wait until eight so that no one knocks on the door, jumps the fence, or breaks down the doors. Last week, they came to my house, where my teenage daughter was preparing for school. The prosecutors didn't even want to hear the calls to leave the apartment until the lawyer came or until we returned home. Before our arrival, the child had to watch two or three adult strangers ask her questions. Then I had to call an ambulance a couple of times because the child became ill.

We don't have a day without terrible accidents, domestic murders, and drug sales. But the police make videos with bloggers and LGBT representatives (the movement is recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation. — Ed.), where they show what it means to sell a voice.

Poor police officers walk around Chisinau at night and tear down posters or posters of opposition parties.

— Earlier, the Patriotic Bloc announced its intention to protest on September 29. Is the Pobeda bloc planning to do the same?

— Today, our actions are concentrated at the 13th prison, where political prisoners are held. But on the 29th, we will decide in the block how we will proceed and fight the current regime.

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The current authorities are trying to create conditions for themselves to win and ensure the loyalty of citizens.

"Since 2019, no one in Chisinau has lifted a finger in order to bring the two shores closer"

— A few days before the voting in Transnistria (PMR), the repair of bridges began, along which its residents will be able to reach polling stations. In your opinion, will this have any effect on the voting process? Should we expect provocations in the PMR and Gagauzia?

— Since 2019, no one in Chisinau has lifted a finger in order to bring the two shores and two communities closer. I want to tell you that this is the biggest mistake that the authorities could have made. You have to be a deranged person to cut the branch you're sitting on: the Moldavian GRES is located in Tiraspol, from where we bought the cheapest electricity.

Regarding provocations, this is a rhetorical question. We can recall the referendum and the presidential election, when road repairs suddenly began. There were also false calls about mining the bridge. We should expect the same thing this year. There will be other provocative moments to prevent citizens from the Left Bank from going to the polling stations.

In Gagauzia, the mood is generally very negative, they are dissatisfied and outraged by the court's decision, which decided to imprison [the head of the region] Yevgenia Hutsul in prison. To clarify, there have been very terrible accidents in Moldova in recent years, where female drivers have been released only because they have underage children. And look at what is happening with Evgenia today.

Gagauzia will vote against the current regime and will vote against Maia Sandu and PAS.

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"The EU today is a bankrupt project that may soon cease to exist"

— The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service previously stated that Brussels intends to keep Moldova in the anti-Russian direction, including through the introduction of NATO troops and "de facto occupation." Can the republic revoke its neutral status if the ruling party wins? Will the issue of joining NATO become more relevant then?

— These people changed the Constitution as they wanted. Of course, they can change the Basic Law, but, again, this requires a referendum. And let's not forget that NATO's financial parent is the United States. We see how Ukraine aspires to join the alliance, but it does not succeed.

Politicians in the republic can say as much as they like, they say, tomorrow we will join NATO. But this is a very difficult financial process, and Moldova has no money. There are also two major geopolitical players: the West and the East. When I talk about the West, it's the United States, and the East is Russia, which has recently resumed its dialogue. Therefore, it is not for the authorities of the republic to decide whether Moldova will join NATO.

— How will Moldova's European integration process go after the elections?

— This is not the same European Union as, say, in 2010, when we understood that it was a partner that could help in development. Today we can see what is happening in Romania and France. For me, the only example in the European Union today is Hungary, which stands steadfastly for its sovereignty, rights and values. Moldova should also look at Georgia.

I believe that the EU today is a bankrupt project that may soon cease to exist if nothing changes in its structure. We are not members of the European Union and we will never become one.

"We have already started filming electoral videos in the church"

— The Central Election Commission of Moldova will send only 10 thousand ballots to Russia, where hundreds of thousands of citizens of the republic live, for the parliamentary elections. At the same time, a record number of sites have been opened in Europe. Does the ruling party expect to gain a majority at the expense of foreign votes, as it did in the presidential elections in 2024?

— In addition to a record number of ballots, special services employees who are supposed to monitor the electoral process have also been sent there.

Today, most ambassadors are PAS agents. The biggest thefts during the elections are done in embassies, where no one is looking after anything. Even more interesting is that during the elections, only some observers who please the embassies are allowed there.

In one telegram channel, they wrote that, as far as I remember, in Canada, one site was opened at the home of a PAS supporter. This is how we have a mockery of the electoral process.

PAS is currently preparing massive stuffing, but the diaspora is 300 thousand people. It is important that the 2 million citizens in Moldova itself vote correctly and neutralize the stuffing that is being prepared in the PAS.

But there are also a lot of dissatisfied citizens among the Western diaspora who will vote against the PAS, because the people who live there are not tourists, and they see a different European Union.

— On the eve of the elections, the Moldovan authorities increased pressure on the Orthodox Church. What is the current situation before the elections? Is there pressure on priests?

— We have already started shooting electoral videos in the church, so they have nothing sacred left. But they still do not allow themselves to close the Moldovan Orthodox Church, which probably owns 90% of the churches on its territory. Therefore, there are attempts to intimidate the church, but it is still holding out.