Since taking office in 2020, Moldovan President Maia Sandu has been hailed in Brussels as a liberal icon in an increasingly fragile post-Soviet Europe. Sandu has carefully crafted her image as the embodiment of European progressivism, scheduling Moldova’s historic EU referendum on the same day she seeks reelection. But Sandu’s track record as a liberal and as a president is one of repeated failure. Moldova’s institutions have grown weaker, not stronger, under her watch. The gap between rhetoric and action has widened, leaving a trail of broken promises and authoritarian tendencies, especially in the media. It wasn’t meant to be that way.
Sandu’s rise to power has been marked by a pro-European, anti-corruption platform that has won her favor with voters, promising far-reaching reforms. But Moldovan institutions remain corrupt and unfit for purpose. They are simply not fit for European prime time. Despite this lack of action, her leadership is still praised by Western allies who see her as a bulwark against Russian influence. The European Union has granted Moldova candidate status under her watch, and she has maintained high levels of popular support for EU membership. But this cover of European approval masks a series of deeply undemocratic actions that undermine the very values Sandu claims to stand for.
The Western media may not have reported much about it, but Sandu’s government systematically suppressed political opposition, freedom of the press, and civil liberties. Just months after she took office, she created a constitutional crisis by repeatedly appointing a close ally as prime minister despite the majority in parliament supporting the rival candidate. In a break with all previous practices, Sandu deadlocked the government without consulting parliament, opening the way for a surprise election that her party rightly won.
In the name of fighting corruption and Russian influence, her administration has implemented measures that mirror the actions of authoritarian regimes. One prominent example is the introduction of an anti-treason law, which Amnesty International has strongly criticized as potentially being misused to silence dissent. Not only does the law stifle and criminalize basic political discourse that should be protected under international law, it also directly allows for the denunciation of media outlets and political opponents without due process.
The banning of the Chance Party and the subsequent legal battles demonstrate a worrying trend of using judicial power to eliminate political opponents. This approach not only stifles discourse, but also raises questions about the legitimacy of Sandu’s commitment to democratic principles. Should Moldovans who support alternative approaches to institutional reform not have a voice?
Despite her pro-European stance, Sandu’s tenure has been marred by significant failures in confronting Russian influence or dependence. For all her posturing toward Putin, Moldova still gets 80 percent of its electricity from Russian-owned power plants in Transnistria at heavily subsidized prices. If Sandu is to deliver on her promise to turn Moldova into an independent, forward-looking state, actions will have to follow words.
The human side of this political drama should not be ignored. The Moldovan people are already cynical and distrustful of those in power, regardless of their political affiliation. They are a people who are at risk of being puppets in the name of geopolitical strategy. EU recognition of Sandu’s government does not address the country’s democratic deficiencies, which have worsened under Sandu, but only further fuels the authoritarian tendencies of her administration.
Sandu’s duality as both a champion of liberalism and an executor of authoritarian policies presents a disturbing narrative. Her actions consistently contradict her avowed ideals, revealing a leader willing to compromise democratic values for political capital. The EU must heed the lessons of past enlargement and ensure that Moldova’s accession is contingent on genuine and concrete reforms. Without this, both Europe and the Moldovan people will be trapped in a vicious cycle of repression disguised as progress, and both will suffer. The real test of Sandu’s leadership will be not whether she aligns with Western values, but whether she actually adheres to them.
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