Moldova's electoral commission today banned one of the pro-Russian parties from participating in the upcoming parliamentary elections, amid widespread accusations that Russia is interfering in the process.
Parliamentary elections will be held in Moldova on September 28th, which are considered crucial for the future of the country - a candidate for membership in the European Union, as a "dead heat" is expected between pro-European parties and parties that want the former Soviet republic to turn back to Russia.
The Heart of Moldova party, one of four parties in the pro-Russian Patriotic Electoral Bloc coalition, was banned from participating. The alliance is one of the main opponents of the ruling pro-Western Action and Solidarity Party, founded by Moldovan President Maia Sandu.
The basis for the ban on participation is a ruling by the Chisinau Court of Appeal yesterday, which banned the activities of the Heart of Moldova party for the next 12 months. The Ministry of Justice requested the ban after recent raids against members of the party, which resulted in charges of voter bribery, illegal party financing and money laundering.
The electoral commission announced that all candidates proposed by the Heart of Moldova would be removed from the Patriotic Electoral Bloc list, and gave the alliance 24 hours to update the list to meet legal requirements regarding representation.
The Action and Solidarity Party has had a comfortable majority in parliament since 2021, but it could lose it in Sunday's elections, in which it has no relevant pro-European partners, while several pro-Russian options are against it.
The Patriotic Electoral Bloc states that it wants "friendship with Russia, the country's permanent neutrality, and a state that serves the people, not officials."
Heart of Moldova leader Irina Vlah condemned the election commission's decision, describing it as "insulting" and a "political spectacle concocted long ago" by the ruling party. She made a similar statement yesterday, condemning the court ruling.
"We have made numerous calls pointing out the crimes committed against us, but there has been no reaction, no change in attitude, which once again confirms that a scenario has been implemented against us in recent weeks," Vlah stated on Facebook.
She was banned from entering Latvia, Estonia and Poland yesterday. Those countries accused her of "helping Russia interfere in preparations for parliamentary elections."
The election commission's decision is likely to stoke tensions in the already polarized country, whose authorities warn that Russia is spending hundreds of millions of euros to influence the outcome of Sunday's election, through vote-buying operations and plans to incite unrest.
Moscow has consistently denied interfering in Moldova's political life. The Russian Foreign Ministry yesterday dismissed allegations of interference in the Moldovan elections as "anti-Russian and unfounded."
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