Romania Perfecting Its Elections Interference Toolkit in Moldova

After all the panic over maybe, kinda, sorta Russian “interference” in the upcoming Moldovan elections, you’d think a story like Romania interfering in Moldova’s elections would be huge news. But it wasn’t, of course, because it didn’t involve Russia. Continue reading Romania Perfecting Its Elections Interference Toolkit in Moldova

The Curious Case of the Chisinau Mayoral Race

On May 20, 2018, voters in Chisinau headed to the polls for the first round of what was a very low-key and boring election. Since 2007, Chisinau has been run like a personal fiefdom by Dorin Chirtoaca, a close personal friend of former Romanian President Traian Basescu. Chirtoaca was re-elected in 2015 and should still be in office today except that he was arrested in … Continue reading The Curious Case of the Chisinau Mayoral Race

The Man Behind the Curtain Speaks

Although he normally toils away in obscurity, speaking only to his minions and the foreign governments that prop up his regime, Vladimir Plahotnyuk took the opportunity last week to speak to the press. The reason? Well, 2018 is a mandatory election year for parliament. Although people have been protesting (especially in the winter of 2016/17) for early elections, Plahotnyuk and his allies have (wisely) deferred … Continue reading The Man Behind the Curtain Speaks