If the right-wing forces come to power, the Republic of Moldova will disappear as a state and the population will grow poorer, a Socialist deputy said. The narrative was launched in the context of the election campaign and was taken over by the PSRM affiliated press. The aim is to undermine citizens' trust in the efforts to join the European path and in the Republic of Moldova’s Western partners. At the same time, attempts are being made to discredit pro-European parties and discourage the diaspora from voting.
NEWS: "Moldovans abroad will no longer have a country to return to if they massively support right-wing parties in snap elections," said the president of the PSRM parliamentary faction, Corneliu Furculiță, invited to REN TV Moldova /… / "The Diaspora must understand that, if they vote for the right-wing parties, will end up in a situation where they will no longer have a country to return to. If the right-wing forces come to power, the Republic of Moldova will disappear as a state. Moldova will become a pocket country, which will carry out orders from the Western partners, and the welfare of the people will suffer greatly. We have the example of Ukraine. It is a topic that Moldovans abroad must think very seriously about ", the PSRM deputy said.
NARRATIVES: 1. The Republic of Moldova will disappear as a state, if the right-wing forces come to power. 2. The population will grow poorer if pro-Western parties come to power.
CONTEXT: The election campaign has started in the Republic of Moldova, with snap parliamentary elections due on July 11.The main parties standing chances of entering Parliament are Maia Sandu’s pro-European Action and Solidarity Party, and PSRM, led by the pro-Russian Igor Dodon. So far, the Socialists of the former president have held the majority in the Chisinau Legislature (together with the deputies of the fugitive Ilan Shor, involved in the one-billion-dollar theft from the Republic of Moldova), but the party is declining significantly in voting intentions.On the other hand, the Action and Solidarity Party is on an upward trend in polls, after Maia Sandu won the presidential seat in November 2020. She promised to hold early elections, hoping to install a government able to carry out reforms under the EU-Moldova Association Agreement and to support the European path of the Republic of Moldova. Maia Sandu is strongly supported by the Western chancelleries. Right after taking office, she was invited to Brussels, Paris, Berlin, and all EU representatives have expressed support for her ambitious reform and anti-corruption agenda. With the start of the early elections, attacks on the pro-European parties intensified, especially against PAS and Maia Sandu. The narratives about the danger of losing statehood and independence, the union with Romania, the threat posed by NATO, etc. were largely resumed.These messages were also taken over by the communist Vladimir Voronin, after he formed an electoral bloc with PSRM. Anti-Western narratives are also amplified by Russian officials, as was the case in last year's presidential campaign, when top Kremlin dignitaries (Putin, Lavrov, Zakharova) attacked Moldova’s Western partners.The diaspora played a very important role in last year's presidential election, as they massively supported Maia Sandu. Moldovan citizens abroad participated in impressive numbers in both rounds (over 150 thousand people), and Igor Dodon harshly attacked them, calling the diaspora a parallel electorate.Deputy Corneliu Furculiță owns Exclusiv Media LTD, involved in a money laundering scheme in Russia, in the 2016 campaign, according to RISE investigations. His name appears in the famous video featuring the "kuliok", the bag of money prepared by the oligarch Plahotniuc for PSRM.
PURPOSE: These narratives aim to undermine citizens' trust in the Republic of Moldova’s European path and Western partners. At the same time, attempts are being made to discredit pro-European parties and discourage the diaspora from voting.
WHY THE NARRATIVES ARE FALSE: The Republic of Moldova is supported by the European Union financially and through various programs of development, promotion of democratic institutions, reform of key areas, eradication of corruption, as well as improvement of living conditions in rural areas, support for small businesses, for the agricultural sector, etc. More than one billion euros have been awarded in the last ten years through grants. The EU is the most important economic partner of the Republic of Moldova, 70% of Moldovan exports are directed to the EU, and 80% of foreign direct investment in the state economy are European, so the reality is diametrically opposed to the narrative. However, the EU and other Western partners do call for the implementation of reforms, which the right-wing forces are embracing in their governing programs, as opposed to the Socialists who propose a rapprochement with Moscow and criticize the model of Western liberal democracies (and therefore market economies).The EU has also provided substantial support for the health sector in dealing with the pandemic, which caught Moldova unprepared. The EU has allocated € 100 million to strengthen the health-care system and support the post-pandemic economic recovery. The Republic of Moldova has already benefited from half of this amount. EU member states, especially Romania, have provided medical equipment worth millions of euros. Also, the immunization process against Covid started due to the vaccines donated by Romania and through the Covax platform. A large part of the Moldovan citizens who also hold Romanian citizenship have been vaccinated in Romania.Therefore, without Western support and donations, the Republic of Moldova would not have survived this pandemic. More than 150 doctors have died from Covid-19, and the total number of victims of the virus has exceeded 6,000.On the other hand, remittances from Moldovan citizens abroad are an important source of revenue for the state budget.
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