Mihai Godea, independent candidate for Mayor of Chisinau, says that the cause of the country's political instability and failure to make progress with reforms is the existence of at least three business groupings that control the economic and political life in the country. The former Lib-Dem vice president told a news conference on Wednesday that the leaders of these three influential groups were Vladimir Voronin, Vlad Plahotniuc and Vlad Filat, Info-Prim Neo reports. “When the Voronin clan was in power in Moldova, state institutions were used to operate in a certain way. Now interests have clashed around three axes and this explains all: the failure to elect the president, political instability and economic stagnation. We are living in a captive state with an economy captured by business groupings”, said Mihai Godea. “The conflict between these business corporations do not leave room for the small and mid-sized businesses. Further pressure is being put through multiple financial inspections ordered by these corporations”. The politician said he would continue to struggle in order to separate the business interests from politics, promising to reveal “in due time” information about the economic and political sectors that are allegedly controlled by the specified groups. At the same conference, Mihai Godea told reporters that he was being targeted by a smear campaign, in particular, fake social media accounts were opened in his name to misinform the voters.