Last Sunday’s presidential election and referendum were marked by Russia's interference in the democratic processes in the Republic of Moldova through the agency of an organized criminal group, said Speaker of Parliament Igor Grosu. According to him, electoral corruption and treason must be punished harshly so as to stop the voting influence phenomenon. The Speaker noted that after the election, the justice sector reform strategy will be reviewed and Western methods will be adapted to the realities in the Republic of Moldova, IPN reports.
Igor Grosu said that the results of the two ballots held on October 20 shocked the PAS government, which found itself facing a harsh reality although all opinion polls showed a much more optimistic picture before the election. The authorities underestimated the inventiveness of the Shor group.
"All the polls, even those conducted by opponents, made the same forecast. We have to admit that we underestimated the dangers. We allowed to be influenced by the impression of the polls. It's our mistake. We underestimated the opponent. Russia is behind the organized group that uses resources that we underestimated and no one should think that I am speaking in parables. Russia employed its entire arsenal of interference and propaganda. The lesson must be learned. The bullet passed close to the ear. After the election We will have to perform a realistic analysis on the way the justice sector reform is going,” Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu stated in the program "Secrets of the Power" on Jurnal TV channel.
The official admitted that the justice sector reform, in the formula agreed with the foreign partners, does not bear fruit and the failure of Sunday's election is a consequence of the inaction of the courts. Moreover, there is evidence showing that the phenomenon of voter corruption expanded to the diaspora.
"No matter how much the SIS, the NAC, the Prosecutor's Office, the police make effort to accumulate evidence, as long as we do not have final convictions in court on political corruption, treason against the homeland, impunity will create precedents. We will have to take off the white gloves in the justice sector reform. All Western approaches, in our realities, must be changed. We must admit that they have also penetrated the diaspora. I'm talking about Italy, France, the UK. They made attempts and got there too. We are also discussing this with the Western partners. These are attempts that they will later try to apply in other countries of the European Union. We have to take off the gloves and be much more incisive," explained the leader of the Party of Action and Solidarity Party.
According to the Central Election Commission’s preliminary data, 50.38% of the electors in last Sunday’s referendum voted in favor of amending the Constitution so as to enshrine the accession to the European Union in it. 49.62% voted against.
