The European Social Democratic Party (PSDE) calls on all the pro-European parties to make a united front “against the government’s attacks on democratic values”. According to the party, the current government, represented by the PAS, uses the European Village national program to strengthen its position through pressure and political corruption, IPN reports.

“It is obvious that many mayors who benefited from projects under this program subsequently migrated to the PAS. This raises serious questions about the integrity of the political process and how administrative resources are used for political purposes. In the manipulative style of presentation of figures by the PAS, for the previous period, out of the 261 PSDE mayors, 127 benefited from projects. The only thing Andrei Spînu forgets to say is that half of the mayors were “dominated” to migrate to the PAS,” reads a PSDE press release.

The party noted that the migration of mayors to the PAS had a significant impact on the results of the 2023 local elections, giving the ruling party a considerable advantage. This approach undermines the democratic principles and citizens’ trust in the electoral process, turning the European Village program into a political tool for gaining party advantages.

“It is not appropriate for a party to strengthen its political position by forcing mayors of other parties and using administrative resources for this purpose. This undemocratic practice cannot be tolerated and should be strongly condemned by all pro-European political forces, regardless of the political color,” noted the PSDE.

According to the party, it is essential to restore integrity and transparency in the political process and ensure that the European Village national program is used for the real benefit of communities and not as a political cudgel of the ruling party.

“The previous local elections, where local leaders were “convinced” by the PAS, were, however, lost by the ruling party. Why did the PAS lose despite all the filters they tell us about? The answer is evident - their incompetence and infantilism. We refuse to believe that the PAS leaders tell about these practices and methods of “convincing” local leaders and members of other parties in European offices when they talk about the promotion of the European concept. In this regard, we call on all the pro-European parties to make a united front against the government’s attacks on democratic values,” reads the press release.