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Sandu reiterated long-held allegations that Moscow is conducting a sprawling ” hybrid war ” against Moldova
“The Kremlin’s goal is clear: to capture Moldova through the ballot box, to use us against Ukraine”

BUCHAREST: Moldovan President Maia Sandu warned Tuesday that her country’s democracy faces a “race against time” from what she said was attempts by Russia to influence parliamentary elections this month.
In a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Sandu said the Sep. 28 vote to choose a new 101-seat legislature would be the “most consequential” election in the European Union-candidate country’s history.
Sandu reiterated long-held allegations that Moscow is conducting a sprawling ” hybrid war ” against Moldova — through disinformation, vote-buying, illicit party funding, and myriad other tactics — to try to undermine the upcoming vote and derail Moldova’s path toward EU membership.
“The Kremlin’s goal is clear: to capture Moldova through the ballot box, to use us against Ukraine, and to turn us into a launchpad for hybrid attacks on the European Union,” Sandu said. “If our democracy cannot be protected, then no democracy in Europe is safe.”
Sandu said the election outcome will determine whether Moldova becomes a stable democracy or whether alleged Russian destabilization pulls Moldova away from Europe. “Today we face an unlimited hybrid war on a scale unseen before the full invasion of Ukraine,” she added.
Moscow had repeatedly denied meddling in Moldova.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola told Sandu before her speech that “we are all deeply impressed by your determination, courage, and steadfast commitment to Moldova’s people,” and that the chamber stands united in support of Moldova’s democratic path toward EU membership.
The EU Parliament will debate later on Tuesday a resolution on strengthening Moldova’s resilience against Russian “hybrid threats and malign interference.” It is expected to vote on it on Wednesday.
Sandu’s remarks on Tuesday come weeks after the leaders of France, Germany, and Poland traveled to Moldova in a show of support to mark the country’s 34 years of independence from the Soviet Union.
Moldova’s upcoming parliamentary election will be pivotal to the country’s geopolitical course: whether it can stay convincingly on its EU path or be dragged back into Russia’s orbit.
“It is a race against time, to anchor our democracy inside the (European) Union, where it will be protected from the greatest threat we face: Russia,” Sandu said.
The pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity, or PAS, which Sandu founded in 2016, won a clear majority in the 2021 parliamentary election but risks losing its majority in the Sep. 28 vote, with no clear pro-European alternatives on the ballot.
In the aftermath of Russia’s full invasion of neighboring Ukraine in 2022, Moldova applied for EU membership and was granted candidate status that year. Brussels agreed to open accession negotiations last year.
“Precisely because we have advanced greatly on this path, Russia has unleashed its full arsenal of hybrid attacks against us,” Sandu said. “The battlefield is our elections.”
Last year, Moldovans voted narrowly in favor of securing the country’s EU path, the same day a presidential election was held, which secured Sandu a second term. But those two votes were also overshadowed by widespread claims of Russian interference, which Moscow denied.
Siegfried Muresan, Chair of the European Parliament’s delegation to Moldova, said in a statement that “Moldova is a priority for EU security, not just EU enlargement” and that “a stronger Moldova means a weaker Russia at our borders.”
“This is why, in this week’s plenary, we will vote on a resolution reaffirming strong support for Moldova’s EU path,” he said. “We will also call on the Council to start negotiations on the first cluster of Moldova’s accession process.”

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s president has replaced key economic and security ministers in a surprise cabinet reshuffle, following deadly anti-government protests that rocked Southeast Asia’s biggest economy in recent weeks.  

At least 10 people were killed in mass protests that broke out in Jakarta in late August. Sparked by controversial perks and housing allowances for lawmakers, the demonstrations turned violent and spread across the country after an armed police vehicle ran over and killed a 21-year-old delivery driver.

Posing the biggest challenge yet for the presidency of Prabowo Subianto, who took office less than a year ago, protesters demanded sweeping reforms across various institutions, including the police, military and House of Representatives.

The president’s cabinet reshuffle on Monday also followed calls for the government to address economic hardships, mass layoffs and declining purchasing power, and implement a fairer taxation system.

State Secretariat Minister Prasetyo Hadi told reporters that the president “has decided to make changes” in the cabinet.

“After some evaluation, he decided on a formation change,” Hadi said, as he announced the removal of five ministers.

Among the removed cabinet members are Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Budi Gunawan, the coordinating minister for politics and security. The ministers of cooperatives, youth and sport, and migrant workers protection were also replaced.

While Prabowo has yet to name a new chief security minister, Indrawati’s removal followed days of speculation after her home was among those looted by a mob at the height of recent protests.

She was one of Indonesia’s longest-serving ministers and has served under three presidents. The former World Bank executive was first appointed by former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2005, and then by President Joko Widodo in 2016, with Prabowo retaining her in the post last October. 

Some experts, including Bhima Yudhistira of the Center of Economic and Law Studies, see Indrawati’s exit as a “positive development” for the Indonesian economy.

“The demand to remove Sri Mulyani has long been voiced by various think tanks and civil societies as a criticism of her inability to push for a fair taxation system, careful spending, and rising debt burdens that increasingly narrow fiscal space,” he told Arab News.

Yudhistira said that the new finance minister has a list of “urgent tasks” to restore public trust, such as lowering value-added tax and restructuring government debt.

Indrawati is being replaced by economist Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, who previously served as chairman of the Indonesia Deposit Insurance Corp.

An alliance of at least 383 Indonesian economists is now urging the government to adopt a comprehensive economic policy that will ensure inclusive growth, create quality jobs and guarantee decent living for the country’s over 280 million population.

“The wave of protests … is a blaring alarm for our economic and social conditions today. This situation did not come suddenly. What happened was results accumulated from economic policies, decision-making processes and governance that were far from responsible,” Lili Yan Ing, economist and spokesperson of the Alliance of Indonesian Economists, said in a press conference on Tuesday. 

“Indonesian economists are of the view that the direction our country is headed is getting further away from our dream as a nation, which is to achieve social justice for all the people.”