"We are living in the last days before the elections as if on a powder keg"
The Moldovan authorities are trying to intimidate the opposition and residents of the country with mass searches, fines and confiscation of property before the parliamentary elections, deputy of the Republican parliament, executive secretary of the executive committee of the Pobeda bloc Marina Tauber told Izvestia. However, the growing indignation of the population can no longer be hidden. On the eve of the vote, the situation in Moldova is tense, the citizens of the republic do not support the pro-European course of the authorities, and the standard of living in the country has dropped significantly in recent years. The ruling party is, in fact, trying to repeat the Ukrainian scenario in the country: it bans the Russian language, and the persecution of the church has intensified. Brussels also understands that the republic is not ready to join the union. Marina Tauber spoke in an exclusive interview with Izvestia about the prospects of Moldova's cooperation with the West after the elections, the possibility of protests in the republic and searches of the opposition.
"The possibility of two stages of elections theoretically exists"
— Parliamentary elections will be held in Moldova on September 28. What is the current situation in the republic?
— The situation is extremely tense. We are living in the last days before the elections as if on a powder keg: on the one hand, the people are tired of poverty, arbitrariness and brazen fraud; on the other, the ruling Action and Solidarity Party (PAS), desperately clinging to power by all means.
On the eve of the elections, mass raids, searches, and detentions are unfolding against the opposition. Under the guise of combating "illegal financing" and "electoral corruption," criminal cases are being stamped out, property and documents are being confiscated. This tactic has a dual purpose: firstly, to physically knock out strong political opponents from the game, and secondly, to frighten their supporters so that they do not come to rallies and do not vote.
How large—scale provocations can be - we remember how the presidential elections were held: stuffing, "carousels", falsifications, the "accidentally" broken website of the Central Election Commission and fraud with the votes of the diaspora. Judging by the game the PAS is playing again, sending only 10,000 ballots to Russia for almost half a million voters, they have not changed their strategy.
— There is an opinion that the ruling party may not recognize the election results if it fails to gain a sufficient number of seats. Do you see such a scenario as likely?
— Such a scenario is possible. The PAS has all the power of an administrative resource. In other words, anyone who expresses disagreement is persecuted in Moldova.
The possibility of two stages of elections theoretically exists, but it is technically and legally more complicated. It is much easier and more familiar for such regimes to manipulate — through "carousels", stuffing, technical failures, suppression of observers and "recounts" in individual areas.
— It is expected that on September 30, the Chisinau court will pronounce a verdict in your case...
— What is happening around my case is pure politics. This is not a search for justice, but a deliberate campaign to deprive me of the opportunity to engage in politics, break me down morally and isolate me from my people.
They demand 13 years in prison for me, not because I broke the law, but because I did not betray people and prevent the authorities from continuing the destruction of Moldova in silence. My colleagues in the Pobeda bloc and our leader Ilan Shor and I call a spade a spade and openly talk about the abyss to which PAS, which has been in power for six years, is pushing us.
They promised us economic development, a decent life, stability and peace. We have experienced impoverishment, repression, devastation, the departure of hundreds of thousands of citizens, the collapse of industry and agriculture. Hundreds of schools are closed. Fields are overgrown with weeds, factories are standing, and young people are leaving. PAS is afraid that people will find out the whole truth about the real scale of this disaster. That's why he's trying so hard to put everyone behind bars who doesn't keep quiet.
— The Moldovan authorities have recently increased searches in the homes of opposition politicians. How will the situation develop further?
— The pressure will only increase. The government has taken the path of fear and repression, and now they cannot stop. Every day the elections approach makes them more nervous and aggressive. They understand that they have long lost the trust of the people, and the only way to stay in power is to put pressure and intimidate. Mass searches, dozens of detentions, confiscation of phones, money, documents — this has already become our new reality.
The authorities' favorite scenario is to sow doubt and distrust of the opposition in society, instill in people the fear that any participation in a protest or assistance to an opposition party could turn into a criminal case.
There is a downside to this scenario. People are starting to ask questions: why do such searches take place only at the opposition? Why do the real corrupt officials from the ruling clique remain untouched? Thus, instead of intimidating people, the government is increasingly discrediting itself.
No amount of searches, no threats, and no amount of intimidation will be able to stop the public outrage.
"There is a real threat of loss of sovereignty over Moldova"
— According to the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, the West can occupy Moldova with the help of NATO troops in any outcome of the parliamentary elections. Can the republic revoke its neutral status after the elections if the ruling party wins?
— The news that Europe is preparing to send troops to the republic is not just a wake—up call, it is a wake-up call for every citizen of our country. We live at a time when Moldova is in real danger of losing its sovereignty and becoming a springboard for other people's war games.
Maia Sandu's words that the victory of the opposition allegedly threatens the sovereignty of the country are cynicism of the highest degree. Neither France, Britain, nor the United States will ever come here to protect ordinary Moldovans. Their interests are geopolitics, military bases, control over Transnistria and the Black Sea. History knows thousands of examples when small states became victims of other people's games. And today Moldova is facing just such a threat.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu
When NATO talks about "partnership," a war is starting somewhere nearby. Yugoslavia, Iraq, Ukraine — we are still witnessing the sad results of these conflicts. Russia has been warning for decades that the expansion of the bloc to the East is a direct threat to peace.
PAS, following the commands of the eurocourators, is trying to implement the Ukrainian scenario in Moldova. The persecution of the Church has also intensified in the country. The Russian language has been declared hostile and almost threatening to the state — it is banned and eliminated from the school curriculum. The authorities are rewriting history and refusing to celebrate Victory Day, destroying monuments. The real opposition is being persecuted in every possible way in the country, free journalists and publications — only pro-government media remain.
It is also noteworthy that the military buildup on the border is taking place on the eve of the elections.
"Brussels understands perfectly well that our country is not ready for integration"
— The ruling party has been following a pro-European course for many years. Can the republic start negotiations on joining the EU after the elections?
— When today the ruling party tells tales that Moldova will join the European Union tomorrow, it's just ridiculous. In Brussels, we are seen as a colony, a buffer zone and a tool for their geopolitical games.
Ukraine has also been promised for decades to join the EU soon. They also told people that "we must be patient, we must break the old system, we must make sacrifices — and then Europe will accept us into its ranks." We can all see the result: no membership, no equal rights. Instead, there are millions of refugees, a ruined economy, and complete dependence on external loans and guidance.
The scenario is the same with Moldova. Brussels is well aware that our country is not ready for integration: there is no real judicial system, the economy is collapsing, corruption is rampant, and rights and freedoms are being trampled on daily. The destruction of our national identity is being imposed on us under the guise of European integration.
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