On Sunday in the Republic of Moldova a new Parliament. In the hot Phase of the election campaign, there is no lack of recrimination and threats. A picture of the mood of the capital city of Chisinau.
In these last days of the Moldovan election campaign, you have to think like a bad Mafia crime: the two pro-European leader of the opposition, Maia Sandu Andrei Nastase from the Alliance ACUM (NOW), declared the press to be mercury poisoned. A TV-station in the orbit of the socialist, Russia-friendly leaders Igor Dodon published on Friday a hand-written note over an alleged Plan to murder the President. At almost the same time, the Oligarch and “strong man” in Chisinau, Vlad Plahotniuc, the leader of the ruling so-called Democrats have been accused, in Moscow, to be on the illegal deduction of around 500 million euros from Russia have been involved.
Maia Sandu Andrei Nastase – the victim of a mercury poisoning?
The Hand Of Russia?
The Russian interior Ministry surprised on Friday morning, the Moldovan Public with a notice of investigation against Vlad Plahotniuc and a business partner with whom he is said to have discharged through illegal foreign exchange transactions 37 billion rubles (the equivalent of around 500 million euros) from Russia. Plahotniuc and the democratic party (PDM) suspect behind the action is a new attempt to strengthen the socialists of the President-in-office Dodon in the election campaign.
According to the Moldovan press the investigation in close connection with the money-laundering scandal, which was under the name of “the Russian Laundromat”. On the last Wednesday of German investigators had seized in this affair, real estate and money to the value of 40 million euros in Germany. Overall, for the money-laundering action five years ago, has been moved about 20 billion euros from Russia through banks in Latvia, and the Republic of Moldova abroad.
This is the second criminal case against Plahotniuc in Russia. At the end of last year, him, the Russian authorities had accused of involvement in a double murder.
Against the oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc is determined in Moscow for money laundering
Possible poisoning, possible death threat
Last Thursday, three days before the elections, said the two pro-European leader of the opposition, Maia Sandu Andrei Nastase, they were victims of a mercury poisoning. There are clear signs of it. A day later, you to the meadows of Plahotniuc controlled government to blame and presented their laboratory findings to the press in Chisinau. Doctors have confirmed that high mercury values were clear signs of external influence.
In a first investigation, was Nastase in 2017 in Germany, had already been an increased concentration of Mercury in its blood is discovered, the politician. Despite subsequent treatment, the values have remained high. In the case of Maia Sandu, a four-fold greater quantity of mercury had been discovered in the last year than the limit.
A spokesman for the ruling PDM dismissed the allegations of opposition politicians as a campaign maneuver. The Plahotniuc-controlled press, led to the assumption of a physician spread, the alleged poisoning was due to high fish consumption.
The socialist-controlled press had on Friday said, against the head of state, a murder was a conspiracy in progress. You have to get out of a “safe” source of the hand-written note, therefore, Dodon, after the elections, at the behest Plahotniucs “around the corner”. The letter has since been pulled from the websites of the publications.
President Igor Dodon dreams from the election victory of his socialist
West against East
The society in the Republic of Moldova is divided. The pro-European and pro-Russian camps balance each other out. Plahotniucs PDM is although pro-West, but behind the economic and political individual interests of the oligarch and his followers often hide. Dodons socialists are clearly aligned to Moscow. Russia’s influence in the former Soviet Republic, is still perceptible, especially in the small towns and rural regions. The pro-Russian camp should win the elections, announced by the President, the renegotiation of 2014 concluded an Association agreement with the European Union.
The country is characterised by widespread corruption, politics, economy and Finance are in the stranglehold of the oligarchs. According to the world Bank, about 20% of the approximately 3.5 million Moldovans live below the poverty line. The average wage is 300 euros. According to recent estimates, almost a third of the population to work abroad – in Russia and especially in the European Union. On the Eastern periphery of the country is a “frozen conflict since the beginning of the 1990s”. In the separatist pro-Russian Region of Transnistria are still stationed Russian military.
A modified electoral law and the re-repression of civil society and the Opposition, repeated bad omen for the elections on Sunday. In the end, is not decided only on a new government in Chisinau, but on the future course of the country. Pro-EU or pro-Russia – that will be this Sunday, the real question.