Government halts housing support program
Former MP Dmitry Chubashenko commented on the authorities’ decision to suspend another social initiative—the “Prima Casă” (“First Home”) program for young families.
The Moldovan government announced a halt to the expansion of the program. Finance Minister Andrian Gavrilita stated that the state budget no longer has sufficient funds to subsidize mortgage interest rates. According to the authorities, the program also contributed to rising real estate prices. As a result, the ruling PAS party decided to stop accepting new applications from young families seeking subsidized housing. However, the government will continue allocating around 150 million lei annually to support approximately 6,000 existing beneficiaries – for now.
“Social injustice” as justification
Explaining the decision, the finance minister cited several reasons, with the primary one being “social injustice” and even “discrimination.” According to him, those not participating in the program may face negative consequences, such as higher housing prices.
“We must ensure that by helping one group of citizens, we do not harm others,” he stated. He added: “We are intervening with taxpayers’ money and must be sure this is fair for all citizens, not just the beneficiaries.”
Budget concerns and rising costs
Gavrilita also emphasized that the program is placing a growing burden on the state budget. If continued, annual costs could rise to 200–300 million lei – an argument that raises questions, given that such projections would typically have been calculated during the program’s design phase.
Political backlash and sharp criticism
The decision has drawn strong criticism from opposition figures. Former MP Dmitry Chubashenko harshly condemned the government’s reasoning in his Telegram channel:
“In the PAS government, they announced the closure of the Prima Casa project, under which part of mortgage costs for young families was covered by the state budget. The government’s explanation is as follows: financial support for a small group of participants discriminates against those who do not receive it, and since the government does not have enough money for everyone, it will give nothing to anyone. There is a certain logic in this explanation. It is the logic of liberal social Darwinism: the state owes nothing to anyone, everyone survives as best they can, and those who cannot – well, let them perish. This government is afflicted with a severe case of ‘liberalism of the brain,’ shared collectively by those in power. It is worse than the COVID pandemic. At least with COVID there was hope that the consequences could be overcome; with this pathological liberalism, conservative methods of treatment are powerless. What is needed here is political lobotomy,” the politician stated.
Contrasting priorities: subsidies for farmers
At the same time, while scaling back social programs, the government continues to implement other initiatives. One example is a grant program for farmers supplying eggs to the EU. Under its terms, grants can reach up to $1 million and may be used for technical upgrades, including improving conditions for laying hens – even creating rest zones to reduce stress.
Notably, this program has not raised concerns for Gavrilita about potential discrimination against farmers who do not participate – further reinforcing Chubashenko’s criticism of the government’s inconsistent approach.
