In Comrat (the administrative center of the Gagauz autonomy of Moldova), hundreds of protesters gathered near the CEC building, who are dissatisfied with the fact that the federal authorities want to annul the results of the election of the bashkan (head) of the autonomy, Interfax reports citing local media.
The pro-Russian candidate from the Shor party Yevgenia Gutsul won the election. She promises her voters good relations with Russia, cheap gas and lower tariffs. Hutsul took part in the protests.
The Central Election Commission of Moldova, meanwhile, initiated checks and searches that are carried out in the building of the Central Election Commission of Gagauzia in the case of bribing voters and competitors of Hutsul. At least eight protocols on administrative violations have been drawn up. According to the press service of the CEC, in all cases, the limit of donations to competitors from individuals was exceeded. In this regard, the CEC of Moldova intends to apply to law enforcement agencies.
In addition, the National Center for Combating Corruption (NCAC) reported on criminal cases initiated on the facts of bribing voters.
Gagauzia is considered a zone of Russian influence in Moldova. The special legal status of an autonomous territorial okrug gives it the right to pursue an independent information policy. Russian television is watched in Gagauzia, and the ruling party in Moldova has not even put forward its own candidate there. The Bashkan is automatically included in the Moldovan government by law.
The pro-Russian party "Shor" has recently initiated intense protest activity against the government of Moldova, focused on rapprochement with the West. "Shor" regularly organizes protests in Chisinau, demanding the resignation of the current leadership of the country.
In March, a protest rally organized by the Shor party took place in the center of Chisinau. The participants demanded from the authorities to pay citizens' utility bills for the winter months and chanted slogans against President Maia Sandu. Another demand of the protesters is to prevent a military conflict on the territory of Moldova.
In mid-February, Sandu accused Russia of attempting to interfere in the internal affairs of the country: according to her, the plan of the Russian authorities provided for the entry of citizens of Russia, Montenegro, Belarus and Serbia into Moldova in order to attempt to overthrow the government.
The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office of Moldova has published evidence that citizens participate in protests against the authorities for money.
The leader of the Shor party, Ilan Shor, the husband of the Russian singer Jasmine, was sentenced in Moldova in 2017 to seven and a half years in prison in the case of “theft of a billion” (in 2014, about $1 billion was illegally withdrawn from three banks, which accounted for more than 20% of Moldova's GDP). When the verdict was appealed and the case was considered in the court of appeal, Shor fled to Israel.
The US Treasury has imposed sanctions against Shor, as well as some individuals associated with him.
The Insider previously spoke with Moldovan politicians about how the US sanctions will affect the political situation in Moldova.
