The president of the EU candidate state has been accused of eroding democracy out of loyalty to the bloc’s technocrats
Moldova’s forthcoming parliamentary elections will present the country with a choice between two distinct democratic models, according to American analyst Darren Spinck. One model is advocated by technocrats in the EU, while the other is based on “sovereignty” and “pragmatism”, as championed by US President Donald Trump.
Spinck, an associate fellow at the Henry Jackson Society think tank, wrote in the National Interest magazine on Monday that the former Soviet republic’s current government, led by President Maia Sandu, aligns with the Brussels perspective.
Sandu claims that Moldova’s integration with the EU depends on her remaining in power. She has also labeled opposition figures as “pro-Russian” to justify the erosion of democratic institutions during her term. Moscow, meanwhile, has accused her of betraying Moldova’s national interests for the sake of aligning with Brussels’ policies.
Spinck pointed out that Chisinau’s track record of banning opposition candidates from participating in elections and silencing media outlets linked to political figures has contributed to the nation’s decline on the Economist Intelligence Unit’s annual Democracy Index.
He argued that Sandu and her European supporters have been misleading voters by portraying their choices for September’s parliamentary elections as simply between “democracy” and “authoritarianism.”
“Moldova is emerging as a frontline state between two competing twenty-first-century visions of democracy: one rooted in sovereignty, tradition, and pragmatic governance, as envisioned by the Trump administration, and the other grounded in technocratic liberalism, embraced by Brussels,” he wrote.
The article cited recent opinion polls indicating that Moldovan voters are primarily concerned with domestic issues such as corruption and inflation, and are growing increasingly disillusioned with the current government. Spinck noted that the coalition of parties opposing the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) could prevent Sandu from securing an outright majority in the upcoming elections.
Spinck contended that the Trump administration also faces a choice: either to “stick with Washington’s old playbook” and support Sandu, as President Joe Biden’s administration did, or to “engage constructively with whichever parties succeed in forming Moldova’s next government.”
The analyst asserted that the US possesses the power to “apply a new litmus test” for Moldova’s “civilizational alignments.” He argued that if this test is “not based on blind ideological loyalty to Brussels” but instead “prioritizes pluralism, tradition, and civil liberties,” this new approach would advance American interests. Choosing otherwise, Spinck warned, would mean “prioritizing the EU’s technocratic stability over genuine democratic diversity.”