The positions of pro-Russian forces are strengthening in Moldova
Against the background of a loud scandal with the theft of a billion dollars by the liberal authorities in Moldova, the rating of Igor Dodon’s Socialist Party, focused on the country’s entry into the Customs Union, is growing. In addition, a month before the local elections, businessman Renato Usaty, previously persecuted by the authorities, returned from Russia to the republic, whose “Our Party” intends to participate in the election campaign. The victory of these parties could soften the blockade of Transnistria and ease tensions on its border with the Odessa region.
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The leadership of Moldova is seriously afraid of mass unrest, writes Kommersant. At the rally on May 3, from 20 thousand to 40 thousand people demanded the resignation of officials and prison for the leaders of the ruling coalition “For a European Moldova.”
The reason was a classified report from the American detective company Kroll, hired by the National Bank to investigate the situation in the banking sector. At the end of last year, three local banks - Banca de Economii, Banca Sociala and Unibank - had a $1 billion hole. The Kroll report says that the banks issued multi-billion dollar loans to a group of firms, after which the money was withdrawn from the country.
The demand for the report to be made public was the main one at the May 3 rally, and this demand was fulfilled. Then businessman Ilan Shor was placed under house arrest, charging him with abuse of power: Shor (the second husband of singer Jasmine) headed the administrative council of Banca de Economii during the period when dubious transactions were carried out.
The story of the withdrawal of money dealt a severe blow to the image of the ruling alliance “For European Moldova,” the publication writes. The latest survey showed a collapse in the ratings of the ruling Liberal Democratic and Democratic parties: 10% for the former (last fall it was 21%) and 8,2% for the latter (18% in the fall). But the opposition Party of Socialists, which stands for the Customs Union (CU), had a rating of 10% in the fall, and now it is 23,1%. In such conditions, the socialists have a chance to come to power in many regions of the country in local elections on June 14.
In addition, businessman Renato Usatii, whose Patria party was removed from the elections in November on charges of foreign financing, returned to Moldova from Russia. Then the authorities threatened to arrest the businessman. Now, as Kommersant writes, Moscow has conveyed to the influential Moldovan oligarch, deputy chairman of the Democratic Party Vladimir Plahotniuc, an interest in ensuring that Usatii is not prevented from engaging in politics. The wish was conveyed through the President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambayev, who visited Chisinau on March 15.
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