Deputy of the Singerei Raion Council [regional legislature] Oleg Cernei, the Chairman of the Raion subdivision of the Coalition for Unity and Welfare [Coalitie pentru Unitate si Bunastare, CUB], accused President Maia Sandu of “personally participating in the election campaign of the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity and of luring local mayors over to the PAS’ side.” At the press conference held at INFOTAG on Wednesday, he stated that this is a gross violation of the law.

According to him, on Tuesday the head of state visited the Singerei Raion, and did so without warning the Raion Council. She was accompanied by MP Doina Gherman, the PAS’ ‘responsible’ for that raion.   

“There are a lot of problems in the raion - a multi-million salary arrears to teachers, the economy is on the verge of a collapse. As a Raion Councilor, I wanted to take part of that meeting. This is all the more legal because this complies with the requirements of local government legislation. But not only did the guards not let me in - they pushed me out of the room in a most unceremonious way,” Cernei was indignant.

In his opinion, this is “an obvious abuse of power by officer of the State Guarding Service (SGS) Dumitru Brasovschi, a relative of the former MP from the Democratic Party of the Plahotniuc times.”

Cernei demanded an official apology from the SGS leadership for the violations committed by the officer.

He accused President Sandu of “turning herself into an election agent of her ruling party, which is a gross violation of the law and European norms.” Cernei condemned “the pompous voyages of the head of state around the country, accompanied by numerous guards and Presidential Advisers – all at the expense of Moldovan taxpayers.”

Oleg Cernei, a deputy of the Singerei Raion Council, was previously a member of Maia Sandu’s ruling PAS party. In April 2022, he announced suspension of his activities as a PAS member due to the incompatibility of party membership with the position of coordinator in the framework of a cross-border and local development project funded by the European Union.