In a dramatic turn just days before a pivotal parliamentary election, Moldova’s electoral commission has barred two prominent pro-Russian parties from the ballot, intensifying a political showdown that many see as a defining moment for the country’s future. The commission’s decision on Friday, September 26, 2025, excluded the Heart of Moldova and Moldova Mare parties, both of which had campaigned for closer ties with Moscow and stood as major challengers to the pro-Western Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS). The bans, rooted in allegations of illegal financing, voter bribery, and undeclared foreign funds, have stoked tensions across the country and provoked sharp rebukes from opposition leaders and Russia alike.
The move follows a ruling by the Chisinau Court of Appeal a day earlier, which restricted the activities of the Heart of Moldova party for 12 months. According to the commission’s statement, all candidates proposed by Heart of Moldova were removed from the Russia-friendly Patriotic Electoral Bloc (BEP), a coalition that has emerged as one of PAS’s main opponents. The BEP was given just 24 hours to adjust its candidate list to meet electoral law thresholds or risk further disqualification.
Irina Vlah, the leader of Heart of Moldova, did not mince words in her condemnation of the ban. She described the commission’s move as “a political spectacle, concocted a long time ago” by the ruling party, and insisted that the charges were fabricated to silence opposition voices. “This isn’t justice, but a final act of a dirty show orchestrated in advance by authorities with a single goal: to silence us,” the party declared in a public statement. Vlah’s criticisms echoed widely among her supporters, with many viewing the action as an alarming escalation in Moldova’s already polarized political climate.
Further fueling the controversy, Vlah herself was banned from entering Latvia, Estonia, and Poland on Thursday, September 25, 2025, over allegations that she aided Russian interference in Moldova’s election preparations. The Ministry of Justice had requested the party’s restriction after law enforcement searches earlier in September uncovered accusations of money laundering, illicit party financing, and attempts to bribe voters. The Moldova Mare party, too, was barred later that same day, cited for vote-buying, hidden foreign financing, and links to a previously banned party.
These dramatic developments come against a backdrop of mounting claims from Moldovan authorities of Russian meddling in the country’s politics. Prime Minister Dorin Recean, in a stark address to the nation on Wednesday, September 24, accused Russia of spending “hundreds of millions of euros” to “take power” in Chisinau, Moldova’s capital. “It’s just that we are campaigning in our country, and the Russian Federation wants to campaign not in its own country, but in our country,” Recean said, framing the election as nothing less than “a siege on our country.”
Recean outlined a litany of alleged Russian tactics: a sprawling vote-buying scheme, more than 1,000 cyberattacks on government infrastructure this year alone, plans to incite riots around the election, and an aggressive disinformation campaign online. Perhaps most troubling, Moldovan authorities have pointed to fugitive pro-Russian oligarch Ilan Shor—convicted in 2023 for fraud and money laundering in a notorious $1 billion bank scandal—as a central figure in the alleged effort to destabilize Moldova. “There is evidence, including wiretaps, that proves that vote buying is financed by the Russian Federation,” Recean stated, adding that the “instrument is the Shor criminal group, and the beneficiaries are several electoral competitors.”
Authorities have responded with sweeping action. In the week leading up to the election, police detained 74 people and carried out 250 raids as part of an investigation into an alleged Russia-backed plot to incite mass riots and destabilize the country. One individual was detained over the financing of a political party, reportedly using cryptocurrencies linked to Russian sources. “The increasing evidence of Russia’s subversive actions is increasing concern in society. I assure you of one thing: the state of the Republic of Moldova is resisting,” Recean said. “We are not just resisting, but we are retaliating firmly and we will thwart the Russian occupation plan.”
Yet, the accusations of foreign interference are not going unchallenged. Moscow has repeatedly dismissed the claims as “anti-Russian” and “unsubstantiated.” In a statement issued Thursday, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs flatly denied any meddling in Moldova’s elections, arguing that the allegations serve only to stoke anti-Russian sentiment and distract from internal political struggles. Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, for its part, has accused European politicians of pushing Moldova to adopt “Russophobic policies.”
The election, scheduled for Sunday, September 28, 2025, is widely viewed as a crossroads for Moldova, a former Soviet republic that has been a candidate for European Union membership since 2022. The PAS, led by President Maia Sandu, has held a strong parliamentary majority since 2021, but now faces mounting pressure from consolidated Russia-friendly blocs. With no strong pro-European partners on the ballot, the ruling party risks losing its dominance in a parliament that will determine whether Moldova continues its westward trajectory or veers back toward Moscow’s sphere of influence.
The Russia-friendly BEP, now forced to rapidly reconfigure its candidate list, has campaigned on promises of “friendship with Russia,” “permanent neutrality,” and a focus on the needs of ordinary citizens. At a rally in Chisinau on Wednesday, dozens of BEP supporters chanted “down with PAS” and “Down with Maia Sandu,” signaling deep divisions over the country’s direction. Nichita Romenschi, a 22-year-old BEP candidate, told the Associated Press that “neutrality is the guarantee of security for us,” emphasizing the bloc’s desire for good relations with both the EU and Russia. Meanwhile, Grigore Novac, a member of parliament for the Party of Socialists, argued that “absolutely no one should intervene in the electoral process” and accused European leaders of interfering more than Russia.
The stakes are high, and international attention is keen. Last month, leaders from France, Germany, and Poland traveled to Moldova in a show of support, marking the country’s 34th year of independence from the Soviet Union and signaling strong European backing for its EU aspirations.
As Moldovans prepare to head to the polls, the outcome remains uncertain. The election will not only decide the composition of the next parliament but could also chart the course for Moldova’s geopolitical future at a time of heightened tension and competing influences. For many, the vote has become a referendum on the country’s identity, sovereignty, and the values it wishes to embrace in the years ahead.
With the dust far from settled and passions running high, Sunday’s ballot promises to be a watershed moment for Moldova—one that could reverberate well beyond its borders.
