Strengthening communication with Moldovan society, EU: next key task for President Sandu – expert

Latvian expert Alex Grigorievs shared this view with Ukrinform.

“The second round of the presidential elections in Moldova ended with a confident victory for the incumbent pro-European leader Maia Sandu. However, the upcoming parliamentary elections pose a challenge since Moldova is a parliamentary republic. The President should now focus on preparing for these elections,” Grigorievs explained.

According to him, a major issue in Moldova’s post-Soviet political landscape is a lack of engagement with the public, as well as insufficient communication about the roles and efforts of the president and government. He sees this as a gap that requires immediate attention.

Grigorievs also emphasized the importance of Sandu’s dialogue with the European Union. “One of the primary messages the Moldovan president should convey is the need for swift action on EU integration and economic improvement measures to influence the outcome of the parliamentary elections,” he noted.

The expert highlighted how Russian attempts to create internal strife in Moldova are a cynical strategy, aiming to pit citizens against one another by claiming that “Maia Sandu is the president of Moldovans in the EU, while Stoianoglo is the president of Moldovans in Moldova.” Indeed, it was the Russian Federation and its predecessor, the Soviet Union, that led to the emergence of a large Moldovan diaspora. Initially, in 1940, eastern Moldova was separated from Romania (the country was established in the 19th century as a union of the principalities of Wallachia and Moldova). The territory occupied by Moscow was transformed into an agrarian appendage, a “fruit garden and winery.” After 1991, Russia created problems regarding gas supplies and the purchase of Moldovan wine and fruits in order to maintain control over eastern Moldova.

“Russia was behind the economic challenges that forced Moldovan citizens to seek work in Portugal, Italy, and Spain. Meanwhile, those who left for Europe left their children in the care of older relatives who, in turn, supported Soviet-era leaders,” Grigorievs explained.

In his opinion, the communist president Vladimir Voronin “would have turned into the Moldovan Lukashenko if the people had not rebelled in April 2009 and ousted him from power.” “That was when they began to realize the problem of the significant portion of the most responsible and active age group of citizens, namely Moldovans working abroad, not participating in choosing Moldova’s path to Europe. Active steps were taken to address this issue: a network of polling stations was prepared, electoral commissions were created, and outreach work was conducted with voters,” the expert noted.

Thus, the Moldovan diaspora is inseparably and familially connected to Moldova. However, the Russian side is trying to pit them against each other in order to obstruct the path to Europe and restore its control over the country.

Alex Grigorievs is the deputy head of the Baltic-Black Sea Alliance. From 1996 to 2013, he worked at the National Democratic Institute (USA), representing it at the highest level in post-Soviet countries (Ukraine, Moldova, Russia, Azerbaijan), and he was also the head of the Eurasia direction at Development Transformations (USA).

As reported by Ukrinform, after the announcement of the election results in Moldova, the U.S. State Department stated that despite Russia’s efforts to disrupt the presidential election in Moldova through financing, bribery, and dirty tactics, the Kremlin failed to undermine democracy in the country.