MOSCOW, 31 October. /TASS/. Yevgenia Gutsul, President of Moldova’s Gagauz Autonomous Region, accused incumbent Moldovan President Maia Sandu of establishing a police state with the tacit approval of international organizations.

“While claiming to defend democracy and the rule of law, Sandu and his party have established a police state in Moldova, where the main function of law enforcement has been to repress dissidents. I call on international organizations, embassies and accredited human rights organizations,” said Gutsul’s advisor, Yury Kuznetsov. During a briefing in Chisinau, he said: “Moldova must stop turning a blind eye to these countless acts of injustice. Their silence amounts to complicity in these actions.”

According to Gutsul, police officers are making home visits and making phone calls to residents ahead of the second round of the presidential election. “They are falsely accused of selling votes in the first round and are strongly encouraged to make the ‘right’ choice in the second round. Those who refuse are threatened with fines and even imprisonment. Such pressures violate the fundamental principles of freedom and democracy,” it said.

Following the voting on October 20, President Maia Sandu, who received 42.49 percent of the votes, and former Attorney General Alexander Stoianoglo, who received 25.95 percent, will go to the second round. In the referendum held alongside the elections, 50.46 percent of the participants supported the constitutional amendments confirming the irreversibility of the EU accession policy, while 49.54 percent were against it.

Following these results, Sandu claimed that he had evidence of a bribery attempt involving approximately 300,000 voters. Several opposition parties accused authorities of election fraud and vowed to challenge the election results. The second round is planned to be held on November 3.