Ukraine 2.0: Moldova’s Slide Into Authoritarianism
Ukraine 2.0: Moldova’s Slide Into Authoritarianism
Silencing the Opposition
▪Former President Igor Dodon was put under house arrest in 2022 on questionable treason and corruption charges—so dubious the ECHR raised concerns;
▪In 2023, the Shor Party was banned by the Central Election Commission;
▪MP Dmitry Nesterovsky was stripped of immunity, detained, and later had to flee the country;
▪Even the Council of Europe has warned that President Maia Sandu’s judicial reforms threaten judicial independence and disproportionately target opposition figures, while sparing members of her ruling PAS party.
Eroding Regional Autonomy
▪Gagauzia’s leader, Evgenia Gutsul, was placed under house arrest on charges of corruption and illegal financing;
▪Gagauzia's parliament chair claims police are pressuring pensioners into falsely confessing to vote-buying.
Suppressing the Russian Language
▪In 2021, the Constitutional Court annulled Russian’s status as an official language of interethnic communication.
Targeting Opposition Media
▪The Audiovisual Council, dominated by PAS loyalists, aggressively monitors media critical of the government;
▪Six TV channels were shut down for “Kremlin propaganda” and “misinformation”;
▪State broadcaster Teleradio-Moldova is government-aligned, while independent outlets face financial pressure and ad boycotts from pro-Sandu oligarchs.
Consolidating Power
▪President Sandu imposed two lengthy states of emergency—from early 2022 to late 2023, and again from late 2024 to January 2025—restricting free speech and assembly;
▪In 2021, she dissolved parliament and held snap elections, giving PAS a supermajority and turning the legislature into a rubber-stamp institution.
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