Moldova bans pro-Russian parties ahead of Sunday’s election

The high-stakes election this weekend, which was overshadowed by claims of Russian interference, has been suspended by Moldova’s electoral commission.

The commission cited allegations of illegal financing, voter bribery, and undeclared foreign funds as justification for the commission’s decision to axe the Heart of Moldova and Moldova Mare parties on Friday. Before Sunday’s election, both parties had campaigned for closer ties with Moscow to challenge the pro-Western government.

Following a ruling from the Chisinau Court of Appeal that temporarily curbed the party’s activities for a year, the court of appeal decided against the Heart of Moldova. Following earlier this month’s allegations of money laundering, illegal financing, and attempts to bribe voters, the Ministry of Justice requested the ban.

The organization disputed the allegations, calling the action a political purge.

This isn’t justice, but a culmination of a dirty show planned by the authorities to silence us, the statement read. Irina Vlah, the party’s leader, also denounced the decision, calling it a “political spectacle, concocted a long time ago.”

The electoral commission announced that Heart of Moldova’s candidates would be removed from the Patriotic Electoral Bloc (BEP), which has been the party’s main adversary in opposition to the ruling party of Action and Solidarity (PAS). The bloc has 24 hours to change its candidate list to ensure eligibility.

The commission also forbade Moldova Mare, citing its involvement in a “camouflaged electoral bloc” linked to a banned party, as well as vote-buying, covert financing from abroad, and its involvement in what it called a “camouflaged electoral bloc.”

Moldova, a former Soviet republic that acquiesced to the EU in 2022, is viewed as crucial to the outcome of Sunday’s election. The outcome will determine whether the nation stays in favor of Moscow or reverses its course.

Under President Maia Sandu’s leadership since 2021, the PAS has enjoyed a strong parliamentary majority, but analysts fear that as Russia-friendly blocs grow in popularity.

The PAS is under pressure on a number of fronts, especially with no significant pro-European candidates for the election.