Moldova President Accuses Police of Pursuing Family, Allies

Moldova's pro-Western President, Maia Sandu, has accused the Interior Ministry of following her family members as the campaign starts for the early parliamentary elections to be held on July 11.

"The Minister of Interior has ordered the pursuit of my family members. He can't follow me because I have a state guard, but he can take care of my family members. It is abuse," Sandu told a TV show aired on Thursday night.

She implied that members of her former pro-Western PAS party are also being followed.

"I do not want to give more details, but … It's been going on for some time, at least a few weeks. They are being followed, including physically. It also happens to other politicians who are not part of the Socialist Party," Sandu alleged.

The Socialist Party, which runs the Interior Ministry, is led by former president Igor Dodon, Sandu's main political rival in an election in which she hopes pro-EU forces win a majority.

Sandu said the actions had been ordered by the Socialist interim Interior Minister, Pavel Voicu.

According to a media investigation by the investigative outlet RISE Moldova, a special division operated inside the Interior Ministry between 2015 to 2019 dealing with interceptions, wiretaps and other political police actions, under the orders of the fugitive oligarch, Vladimir Plahotniuc.

Back then, dozens of pro-European opposition politicians, journalists, and activists were wiretapped, filmed, pursued, and intimidated by this particular division in the Interior Ministry.

Voicu and the Interior Ministry dismissed the allegations on Friday.

"The President's accusations are political in nature and made in an electoral context and contain unfounded accusations, made without presenting any...