Moldova was again recently in the headlines, when French President Emmanuel Macron met President of Moldova Maia Sandu to iron out the final details of what is expected to be a Chisinau-Paris defense pact, alongside an economic roadmap for cooperation between the two nations. Most important however, was the not-so-subtle hint from the French President to President Sandu, highlighting the need for “justice reform and the battle against corruption” in Moldova.
Two years after the war in Ukraine began, Europe is once again on its toes to ensure that it fortifies its defenses against a supposed Russian plan to invade further territory. But as more time passes, it is becoming apparent that fear-mongering over Moscow’s intentions is blinding some of Europe’s most powerful leaders from focusing on more pressing issues, many of which are apparent before their very eyes, but which they are conveniently choosing to ignore.
In the case of Moldova, it is the severe regression in democratic practices which the country has been seeing under the leadership of Maia Sandu. Having been elected on a pro-European platform, her intentions to bring the former Soviet republic into the world’s largest political and economic union is blinding the world from the reality that Moldova is simply not ready for becoming part of the EU. Furthermore, the methods employed by Ms. Sandu to advance her political agenda are not aligned with European principles and practices. Far from it.
Sandu was elected in December 2020, which means an election is coming up in the fall of this year. And as with any elected official, when election season comes it is nothing but re-election that is on their mind. Sandu, however, has effectively leveraged the looming threats which concern European leaders most, to employ any and all tactics to achieve her political agenda. This was most apparent when local elections took place in November of 2023, and authorities in Moldova took the drastic step of barring the country’s largest opposition party, Chance, from contending. “Nothing dreadful has happened. They are just afraid of us”, party leader Alexei Lungu stated in response to the ban which took many by surprise and impacted around 600 candidates.
Immediately preceding the banning of political parties, saw the media in Moldova in the government’s crosshairs, with news websites, television and radio channels that were not to the government’s liking banned in one of Sandu’s most flagrant infringements on freedom of speech yet.
Anyone who has seen Netflix’s “How to Become a Tyrant” will know that some of the most important steps to becoming a dictator include banning opposition parties and of course, taking control of the country’s means of communication. If nobody can oppose a leader’s candidacy, and nobody can openly criticize their policy in the media, the possibility of not being re-elected is virtually nil. And while President Macron and Chancellor of Germany Sholz (who has also taken a very public stand on the Moldova issue) continue to raise the alarm about the looming threat from Russia and the need to expand the European Union, drumming up support for Moldova, back at home autocracy is solidifying.
They say the most dangerous enemy is not the one who lingers behind you in the shadows, but the one who walks beside you as a friend. We must keep this in mind as Maia Sandu struts side by side with some of the most important leaders of our free world. It’s time to wake up before it’s too late.
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