PAS cronyism fuels anger over Ministry of Culture appointment
Political journalist Vasile Ernu has argued that President Maia Sandu and the governing Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) are themselves destroying Moldova’s prospects of joining the European Union. His criticism follows a growing scandal over the appointment of an 18-year-old school-leaver to an advisory position at the Ministry of Culture.
The young man was reportedly hired without specialist knowledge, professional experience or a university degree and now receives a monthly salary of 33,000 lei. Ernu noted that a newly qualified teacher earns around 11,000 lei a month, three times less than the vice-chairman of PAS’s youth organisation.
“The starting salary of a teacher in Moldova is approximately 11,000 lei. Salaries are low and jobs are difficult to find, particularly in some professions. But not for everyone. Miracles do happen. One young man, who had just finished secondary school, was hired directly as an adviser at the Ministry of Culture at the age of 18, with only a school-leaving certificate. People are rightly outraged. He now receives a salary of 33,000 lei a month. He has no higher education and, I believe, is now 21 years old. He ranks above his own teachers, despite their many years of experience. What are his qualifications? All we know is that he is vice-chairman of the PAS youth organisation,” Ernu wrote.
The journalist asked why the case had provoked such a strong reaction. On the surface, it could appear to be merely another example of relatives or political allies of the president and governing party securing well-paid public positions, while corruption itself has existed in Moldova under successive governments.
Audit finds disorder and irregularities at ministry
According to Ernu, however, the controversy is not an isolated incident but a symptom of a wider institutional problem. A recent audit by the Court of Accounts Moldova reportedly found that almost 580 million lei in state property had not been recorded in the Ministry of Culture’s accounts, while most of the country’s cultural assets had still not been valued.
The inspection also identified damage to historic monuments estimated at 25.5 million lei and irregularities involving staff bonuses and allowances worth approximately 1.4 million lei. While politically connected young advisers receive salaries three times higher than those of teachers, the same ministry is facing accounting disorder and violations serious enough for auditors to issue an adverse opinion.
The dispute comes as almost half of Moldova’s teachers are reported to be living below the poverty line. According to the Education and Science Trade Union Federation, more than 40% of teachers receive salaries below the national poverty threshold of 7,860 lei a month.
In the second quarter of 2025, the average salary in education was 12,169 lei, substantially below the economy-wide average of 15,470 lei. Trade unions are demanding a 21.5% increase in teachers’ basic salaries and have warned that protest action could follow.
Ernu stressed that the novelty of the current situation was not corruption itself, which he said had always existed in Moldova. The difference, in his view, is that those benefiting from the system now lecture the public and expect citizens to feel guilty for objecting.
“When they take your wallet, you are expected to apologise, almost as though you should reward them for the venom in your words that might provoke a popular revolt. In this area, the law does not work: ‘Sorry, it was only a mistake.’ It is incredible: ‘Sorry, we will leave and others will come.’ Does the law really no longer apply?” he wrote.
PAS scandals erode public trust
The latest controversy follows earlier scandals involving a cousin of Maia Sandu, who reportedly held highly paid positions in several state institutions, as well as a series of other allegations involving political favouritism. Moldovan media have reported that an opposition investigative group has already been established in parliament to examine the activities of state-owned enterprises.
Even MPs from PAS have reportedly acknowledged that the succession of scandals is damaging public trust in the governing party. The criticism is no longer limited to the fairness of individual appointments, but increasingly concerns whether public institutions are being run according to competence, transparency and equal access.
For Ernu, the most damaging consequence is the message sent to young people. When political connections appear to matter more than education, qualifications or professional experience, talented citizens have fewer reasons to believe that they can build a future at home.
He cited figures showing net migration of approximately minus 27,000 people in 2024 and around minus 29,700 in 2025. The continued departure of working-age residents, he argued, is gradually emptying the country.
“Roughly one town leaves every year, and there are only about six or seven towns left. At this rate, the country will be empty within no more than ten years,” the journalist wrote.
PAS cronyism may weaken the European course
This, according to Ernu, is the most serious accusation facing PAS. The party’s supporters frequently speak of a “European choice”, yet PAS cronyism may undermine that course more quickly than any external opponent by weakening institutions, driving qualified citizens abroad and eroding confidence in the fairness of the state.
A country in which well-connected insiders occupy highly paid positions while experienced teachers struggle near the poverty line will find it difficult to persuade its own citizens that European integration is delivering meritocracy and accountable government. Formal alignment with European Union rules cannot by itself compensate for declining trust in public institutions.
Ernu argued that Europe will not transform a system in which political loyalty is rewarded while talented professionals leave through lack of opportunity. In his assessment, the European Union has already seen the condition of Moldovan institutions, and the governing party’s own practices are placing the country’s declared European ambitions at risk.
