Moldova Blocks EU Guests as Pre-Election Tensions Escalate

As Moldova officially kicked off its parliamentary election campaign this week, the government intensified controversial measures against its opponents, culminating in the denial of entry to dozens of international visitors. Around 50 guests, including journalists and politicians from Europe and the US, were turned away from Chișinău’s airport ahead of a conference titled “Make Europe Great Again” (MEGA). Among them, Czech Member of European Parliament Ondřej Dostál had his diplomatic passport confiscated and was declared persona non grata. Moldovan authorities cited unspecified “national security” reasons for the blockade.

The clampdown has extended beyond the conference. A diplomatic visit by Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov took an embarrassing turn when he and his Moldovan counterpart, Dorin Recean, were met by angry protesters in a historically Bulgarian village in southern Moldova. Locals held signs demanding Prime Minister Recean leave, highlighting the deep-seated animosity towards the current administration in the country’s south.

This region, which includes the autonomous territory of Gagauzia, is a hotbed of opposition to President Maia Sandu’s pro-Western government. Plagued by high energy tariffs, a declining standard of living, and a devastating drought that has ruined farmers, many in the south advocate for stronger economic ties with Russia. Former Prime Minister Vlad Filat described the growing farmers’ protests as a “desperate cry from those who have been completely abandoned by the state,” slamming the government for its inaction and noting that over 35,000 people have left the agricultural sector in the past year alone.

In the capital, a new left-wing opposition bloc has consolidated, uniting parties led by former presidents Vladimir Voronin and Igor Dodon, as well as the popular former head of Gagauzia, Irina Vlah. The bloc has staged protests accusing the ruling party of betraying national interests and has called for defending Moldova’s sovereignty and neutrality. The government, in turn, has dismissed the protests as inorganic, with police claiming to have evidence of demonstrators being paid—an accusation organizers vehemently deny.

Igor Grosu, the speaker of parliament and leader of the ruling Action and Solidarity (PAS) party, has explicitly linked the opposition to fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor and alleged interference from Moscow. He warned citizens against being manipulated, stating, “Those who buy people to carry out instructions from Moscow are using you to line their own pockets.” In a more drastic step, Prime Minister Recean announced that the government would freeze the bank accounts of individuals and entities accused of destabilization efforts, a move designed to cut off what he called “dirty money” and “election corruption.”

This policy of imposing sanctions without a court ruling has drawn sharp criticism. Former Deputy Prime Minister Alexandru Muravschi condemned the actions as undemocratic, stating, “There are no legal proceedings to prove that these individuals and organizations have destabilized the country. These actions are being taken by the Moldovan government without trial or investigation, relying only on demagogic assertions and conspiracy theories.”