Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on September 26, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
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Moldova bans a pro-Russian party from the election, citing interference concerns, impacting its EU membership bid.
(Reuters) -Election officials in Moldova barred a pro-Russian party on Friday from standing in Sunday's parliamentary election, a move that threatens to raise tensions ahead of the high-stakes vote.
The decision by the Central Election Committee to exclude Heart of Moldova, part of the pro-Russian Patriotic Bloc, followed a court ruling limiting the party's activity for one year.
Sunday's poll could have sweeping consequences for Moldova, whose pro-European government has warned of extensive Russian-backed efforts to sway the vote and derail Chisinau's bid to join the European Union.
Heart of Moldova, the subject of an investigation into illegal party financing, said it was facing baseless attacks by the pro-European government.
"This isn't justice, but a final act of a dirty show orchestrated in advance by authorities with a single goal: to silence us," it said in a statement.
Thirty-six candidates have been struck from the ballot following the decision. Party leader Irina Vlah was sanctioned by several European Union member states members this week on suspicion of assisting Russian interference.
In recent weeks, police have conducted hundreds of raids targeting illicit financing and alleged Russian-backed efforts to stoke unrest in an election campaign marred by widespread disinformation.
Polls indicate that the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) could lose its majority as the Patriotic Bloc and other opponents court voters upset with high prices and the slow pace of reforms.
Having to govern in coalition could significantly hamper the PAS's effort to get Moldova into the EU by 2030, experts say.
(Reporting by Alexander Tanas; Writing by Dan Peleschuk; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
The Central Election Committee barred the Heart of Moldova party from standing in the parliamentary election following a court ruling that limited the party's activity for one year.
The exclusion of Heart of Moldova could raise political tensions and impact the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity's efforts to maintain its majority and pursue EU membership by 2030.
Heart of Moldova claims it is facing baseless attacks from the pro-European government, describing the exclusion as a politically motivated act to silence their party.
Thirty-six candidates were struck from the ballot as a result of the Central Election Committee's decision to exclude Heart of Moldova from the election.
In recent weeks, police have conducted hundreds of raids targeting illicit financing and alleged Russian-backed efforts to stoke unrest during the election campaign.
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