Sandu, her party aim to destroy Moldova — ex-president

CHISINAU, April 22. /TASS/. President Maia Sandu and her ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) aim to dismantle the Moldovan state, former President Vladimir Voronin, leader of the opposition Communist Party, told reporters. "Such a despicable, deliberate destruction of the state has never occurred in history. They are demolishing everything. This defies logic, morality, and human conscience. No one before them has ever allowed such lawlessness, rudeness, and arrogance," said Voronin, a member of parliament. He thus criticized the administrative-territorial reform planned by the authorities, which involves consolidating districts and merging villages. "This means that out of the current thirty-two districts, twenty will be abolished. No one is talking about what will happen to the people employed in the district administrations or how the localities will be governed; the situation is completely beyond comprehension," the former president said. Moldova is undergoing a severe economic crisis following the rise to power of Sandu and her party. Mass protests have taken place across the country, with demonstrators demanding the resignation of the head of state and the government, blaming the authorities for the sharp rise in prices and poverty, as well as for corruption and military buildup, in violation of the country’s constitutional neutrality. In response, Sandu accused the opposition of plotting a coup. The police dispersed the protests, and the authorities decided to shut down more than 50 media outlets that had been providing a platform for opposition figures. Criminal cases were opened against leaders of opposition parties, several of which were banned, and dozens of activists were arrested. At the president’s initiative, a Center for Strategic Communication and Countering Disinformation named Patriot was established. According to Sandu, the center’s work is aimed at countering Russia, which the country’s authorities accuse of information attacks, as well as combating "traitors to the homeland" who oppose the government’s course toward European integration.