If snap parliamentary elections are held, the enthusiasm shown by the diaspora at the presidential elections will be maintained, considers Alexei Rogov, a Moldovan who settled in Montreal, Canada, 20 years ago. “Yes, I think Maia Sandu enjoys credibility and the enthusiasm persists as the people are waiting for changes. Even if we have lived here for many years, we are not detached from the country and remain citizens of the Republic of Moldova,” he stated in an interview for RFE/RL’s Moldovan Service that is quoted by IPN.
Alexei Rogov said he follows attentively the events in the Republic of Moldova and those from the diaspora care about the country’s image. He would like the living conditions in the native country to be close to those from the West. He reminded that in the presidential elections, Moldova awakened the enthusiasm of the Moldovans who settled abroad and the expats covered hundreds of kilometers to cast their ballots so that changes were brought about in Moldova. “The legislative body should be replaced so that it brings light. We, here, are glad that the given processes are taking place at home and will support them. The people expect changes related to justice, clarity of the legislative basis and democratization.”
Alexei Rogov also said that if money transfers from abroad to those who remained home hadn’t existed, the Republic of Moldova would have been much poorer as the financial system in Moldova is built in remittances. “But we are taxed twice. Firstly, by the discriminatory exchange rate in our country as the prices of many goods are higher than in Canada. Secondly, by the VAT. Each dollar sent home is taxed. A sum of US$1.5 billion annually is sent by us home, through banks only,” he stated.
According to Alexei Rogov, the politics concerning the citizens who left the country had been populist during the last 20-25 years. All the state mechanisms were created to build a system of numbness so that the Moldovans abroad vote in elections, send more money home and then the political system could decide by itself what to do.
