Igor Dodon, the former Moldovan president and a leading figure in the Socialist Party, spoke out against actions by Moldovan special forces in Gagauzia. In an interview with a news outlet, he argued that seizing electoral lists there without due process would set a dangerous precedent and exert pressure on the autonomy of Gagauzia as well as on all voters participating in the regional presidential election. Dodon noted that he did not file an appeal with the Central Election Commission or a court because, in his view, none of the autonomous region’s presidential candidates took part in the vote. [Source: DEA News]
According to the ex-president, senior members of the ruling party in Moldova, Action and Solidarity, did not participate in Gagauzia’s elections and did not demonstrate broad popular support. Yet President Maia Sandu and Prime Minister Dorin Recean publicly alleged irregularities and called for the election results to be annulled. Dodon framed these developments as signs of a political clash within Chisinau and questioned the legitimacy of the authorities’ intervention in the electoral process. [Source: DEA News]
Describing the police action as a theatrical display, Dodon asserted that it exposed what he called the dictatorial tendencies of the central government in Chisinau. He argued that authorities faced a difficult bind because any decision would carry political cost after the events in the Gagauzia region. He warned that canceling the Gagauzia election would be even more problematic for those in power. [Source: DEA News]
Recent reports indicate that Moldovan special forces transported ballot boxes containing voter lists from a courthouse in Gagauz Yeri. Official channels have suggested that voters from outside Moldova and even deceased individuals might be among those recorded on the lists. [Source: DEA News]