Democratic Party of Moldova

The last chance for Albania's main opposition Democratic Party to propose names for the new President - who must be elected in June - expired on Sunday, when it failed to do so, in the third round of the election.

The date for a fourth session is yet to be decided. Democratic Party parliamentarians did not show up to vote in the parliament.

Moldovan anti-corruption prosecutors and officers from the Intelligence and Security Service SIS on Wednesday searched the homes of 13 former Communist Party, PCRM, deputies, and detained four of them on suspicion of corruption and illicit enrichment.

A former Democratic Party deputy, Constantin Tutu, surrendered to Moldovan law enforcement agencies on Friday at the Albita-Leuseni border crossing point with Romania, wearing medical gloves and a protective mask when taken into custody.

The US embassy in Chisinau announced on Thursday evening that procedures to send Vlad Plahotniuc back to Moldova have already been launched but that he cannot be deported quickly.

Moldova's interim prosecutor general has opened a criminal investigation into the Democratic Party on suspicion of 'usurping power' when it resisted handing over the reins of government during a post-election crisis in June.

Unlike Georgia or Ukraine, where public opinion is firmly against Russian interference and united against Russian military aggression, the Moldovan public is evenly divided in its outlook to Europe or Russia.

The Democratic Party-led government in Moldova - which had disputed the formation of a rival government led by Maia Sandu, citing a Constitutional Court ruling - appeared to throw in the towel and resign on Friday, resulting in the departure of Prime Minister Pavel Filip.

Time to Act

The diagnosis is correct. In fact, this is what a European Parliament resolution adopted in November 2018 also called Moldova.

The parties making up the new governing majority essentially vowed to put an end to this. It was this - not some great game between the EU and Russia - that defined politics for most Moldovans in recent years.

As the international community appealed for calm in Moldova, the new Prime Minister, Maia Sandu, defiantly summoned her cabinet to meet on Monday in parliament - despite a blockade by police still obeying the former government led by Pavel Filip.