Parliament speaker says authorities not to allow anyone to interfere in internal affairs of Moldova

The Moldovan authorities will not accept different standards for organizing elections in Autonomous Territorial Unit (UTA) of Gagauzia, Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu has said. The official emphasized that all electoral processes must be conducted in accordance with the legislation of Moldova.

Commenting on the situation in the autonomy and on external influences, Igor Grosu said that “the ball is in their court” and described the relationship with representatives of the region through a suggestive metaphor.

“When they come to Chisinau and we sit at the table without TV cameras, they are warm bread, I honestly admit. But when they go back there, it’s as if they change, and then they come again and are warm bread. They go back and the bread cools again,” said the speaker.

Igor Grosu made statements to this effect in the context of preparations for the elections in Gagauzia and discussions about compliance with electoral norms in the autonomy. In recent years, elections in the region have been accompanied by accusations of non-transparent financing, external influences and the involvement of groups close to fugitive politician Ilan Shor.

According to Grosu, Moldova is not trying “to cheat” and is not seeking to impose “exclusive standards” for certain regions either. “The rules are for everybody,” he stressed.

“We will not allow anyone to interfere in the internal affairs of Moldova. Elections in the interest of Moldova and of the citizens of Gagauzia must be held in accordance with the law of Moldova and the particularities they have there. Beyond that, the lists must be clean, the money must be transparent and electoral officials must undergo vetting. No one is so special as to say that, for some districts, we will proceed one way and for others another way. That’s not how it works,” Igor Grosu said.

The central authorities have earlier announced that they would closely monitor the electoral processes in the autonomy, especially regarding the financing of campaigns and compliance with electoral legislation. The issue of the elections in Gagauzia has come back into the public eye, after more controversies related to external influences and attempts by groups affiliated with Ilan Shor to get involved in the political life of the region.