A news story about the rise in oil prices, taken over by the PSRM affiliated press, is falsely associated with the coming into office of the new President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu. This is part of a string of narratives about price hikes, pandemic restrictions and Maia Sandu blocking the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, aimed at undermining her image, but also at destabilizing the situation in the Republic of Moldova.
NEWS: The Chisinau press wrote this week about the increase in the price of sunflower oil. A news story on this topic carried by Publika.md was taken over entirely by Abcnews.md andTelegraph.md, sites affiliated with the Socialists, but with the following headlines “Since Maia Sandu became president of the country, the oil price has gone up by 30% ", Or "In the country led by Maia Sandu: Oil has become more expensive again, by almost 30%", in a bid to blame these increases on President Maia Sandu.
"The price of oil has gone up again by almost 30%. At the end of December, the refined oil sold, on average, for 30 lei per liter, and now it is approaching 40 lei. The representative of an edible oil company told us that prices have risen gradually because sunflower seeds have become very expensive due to last year's drought. In 2020, a ton of sunflower seeds cost up to 6 thousand lei, and now, the price is double. Some farmers say the seeds became more expensive because their costs were higher than incomes. Last year, sunflower production stood at one ton per hectare, three times less than usual. However, farmers say the oil price spike is unjustified. "When I started harvesting sunflowers, the price was 8 lei and 10 bani, and then it went up to 8 lei and 20 bani. Now it has reached 10 lei. I don't see why the final product has turned so expensive”, farmer Nina Movilean said. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, last year, 383 thousand hectares of sunflower were cultivated. However, the yield was almost twice as small as that of 2019 ".
NARRATIVE: Retail prices are on the rise because of Maia Sandu
CONTEXT: In addition to the negative impact of the Covid pandemic on the economy of the Republic of Moldova, the year 2020 was also marked by a severe drought, which affected half of the country’ agricultural land. These two major crises have triggered the most severe recession in 20 years, and the Gross Domestic Product has shrunk by 6.5%. Agricultural output in 2020 decreased by 27% compared to 2019, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics. Sunflower production was 40% lower last year than in the previous year (only 487 thousand tons in 2020, compared to 811 thousand tons in 2019)
The effects of the drought, magnified by the poor management of resources, had been predicted by experts, but also by farmers who organized large protests last year, to ask for help from the state. Farmers drove their tractors to Parliament. The government, however, did not have a plan to mitigate the negative effects of the economic crisis. In September, the Minister of Agriculture claimed that there were no reasons for prices to go up, but the price of sunflower seeds already doubled in summer, due to the previous year’s drought.
After the Socialist leader Igor Dodon lost the race for president, the Chicu government, controlled by PSRM, resigned on December 23, 2020, one day before Maia Sandu took office as president. The parliament, dominated by the Socialists and their associates from the Shor Party, has so far failed to appoint another executive, so the Republic of Moldova is led by an acting cabinet and prime minister, still controlled by the PSRM.However, Igor Dodon is trying to blame all the failures related to the management of the pandemic and the economic crisis on the new presidential administration, on Maia Sandu in particular, although according to the Constitution the president has no direct responsibilities that might influence the economic situation. In February, for example, Igor Dodon accused Maia Sandu of raising fuel prices.
PURPOSE: The headlines aim to blame Maia Sandu for the increase in prices. At the same time, such narratives aim to destabilize and wreak havoc on society.
WHY NARRATIVES ARE FALSE:The fact that oil has become more expensive recently, since Maia Sandu took over the presidential office, is just a coincidence. Farmers, producers and economic experts had anticipated last summer that certain products would become more expensive, amid the severe drought that affected Moldova last year. Sunflower production decreased by 40% in 2020, compared to 2019, according to NBS data.The narrative is part of a series of news promoted by the press affiliated with the Socialists, which blames President Maia Sandu for the current political and economic crisis, including for the rise in some products’ prices. A piece of fake news about fuels becoming more expensive because Maia Sandu was elected president was debunked by the StopFals. portal.
The economy of the Republic of Moldova is based on the free market principles, prices of goods are determined by market demand and consumers, and the authorities have no right to intervene in these laws.In the Republic of Moldova, the presidential institution has no executive powers. Therefore, President Maia Sandu cannot directly influence the economic situation or take measures for its recovery. At the same time, the acting government is still led by people close to the Party of Socialists, which includes former advisers to Igor Dodon.
GRAIN OF TRUTH:
Prices of many foodstuffs have indeed gone up since the beginning of the year, especially of vegetables and fruits, as well as oil, milk and others. Fuel prices have also spiked.
