CHISINAU: Moldova has excluded the pro-Russian political party ‘Greater Moldova’ from participating in Sunday’s parliamentary vote due to suspected illegal financing.
Officials announced the decision on Saturday after it was made late on Friday.
This marks the second pro-Russian party to be excluded within days of the vote, raising concerns over alleged Russian interference.
Moldova’s Central Electoral Commission excluded the Greater Moldova party following findings by police, security, and intelligence officials.
The commission stated that the party was using illegal financing and foreign funding.
Greater Moldova leader Victoria Furtuna said the decision was biased and she would appeal it, according to the Moldpress media outlet.
The election authority found that the party had used unreported financial resources.
Officials also suspected the party of providing voters with money in an attempt to sway the outcome.
Authorities suspect the party was acting as a successor to the previously outlawed party led by pro-Russian fugitive business tycoon Ilan Shor.
Shor, who denies all wrongdoing, currently lives in Moscow.
Sunday’s parliamentary vote is seen as a turning point for Moldova, a former Soviet republic and a European Union candidate country.
The ruling pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), led by President Maia Sandu, has held a parliamentary majority since 2021.
Polls show that PAS might lose its majority as opposition parties court voters concerned about the high cost of living.
Voters are also worried about rising poverty and a sluggish economy.
Governing in coalition could complicate the PAS’s effort to get Moldova into the EU by 2030, analysts say.
Another pro-Russian party, ‘Heart of Moldova’, part of the pro-Russian Patriotic bloc, was barred from participating in the vote last week.
Russia says it does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. – Reuters
