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Fact-checking: Minsk Radio Falsely Claims Moldova's President Maia Sandu Lacks Moldovan Citizenship
The Belarusian Investigative Center journalists found out what passports Maia Sandu has.
The pro-government Minsk Radio host Alena Radovskaya claimed that Moldovan President Maia Sandu has only Romanian citizenship. The Weekly Top Fake team checked what Moldova's constitution and Sandu herself said about this.
On May 27, Maia Sandu signed a decree granting Moldovan citizenship to several members of the rock band Bi-2. The musicians applied for it after being detained in Thailand. According to them, the Russian ambassador was involved in their persecution.
That same day, Alena Radovskaya claimed on Minsk Radio that Sandu herself does not have Moldovan citizenship:
“It is worth recalling that she still does not have Moldovan citizenship. Despite her position, she is a Romanian citizen.”
According to the Constitution of Moldova, only a citizen of the country who has reached the age of 40 could become its president. Maia Sandu has stated that she has dual citizenship: “I am a citizen of the Republic of Moldova, I have two passports, but my heart is here.”
In an interview with blogger Yuri Dud, she admitted that she obtained a Romanian passport about 15 years ago: “My grandparents had Romanian passports. It was important for me to have a Romanian passport. It's about self-identity,” the President of Moldova said.
