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1h ago

Moldova Bars Pro-Russian Party From Election Ballot Ahead of Pivotal Vote

Officials cite illicit financing and interference threats in a contest that will shape the country’s path to Europe or back to Russia.

A woman walks in front of the government building, decorated with European Union and Moldovan flags, in Chisinau, Moldova, Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, ahead of parliamentary elections taking place on Sept. 28. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Irina Vlah, leader of the Heart of Moldova Republican Party and one of the leaders of the Patriotic Electoral Bloc, attends a rally launching the election campaign ahead of the parliamentary elections, at the Capriana Monastery in the village of Capriana, Moldova August 29, 2025. REUTERS/Vladislav Culiomza/File Photo
Women applaud at a rally of the Russia-friendly Patriotic Electoral Bloc in Chisinau, Moldova, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, ahead of parliamentary elections taking place on Sept. 28. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
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Overview

  • Election authorities removed Heart of Moldova from Sunday’s ballot following a court order restricting the party for one year, striking 36 candidates and giving its Patriotic Bloc allies 24 hours to revise their list.
  • Prosecutors cite allegations of voter bribery, illegal financing and money laundering tied to Heart of Moldova; party leader Irina Vlah denounced the move as political, after bans on her entry by Poland, Latvia and Estonia.
  • Moldovan police conducted hundreds of searches and detained 74 people this week in probes of alleged Russia-backed plans to fund provocateurs and incite unrest, with one suspect held over crypto-based party financing.
  • President Maia Sandu and senior officials warn Russia is spending hundreds of millions of euros to sway the vote through large-scale vote-buying, disinformation and cyberattacks, a view echoed by Britain’s defense ministry.
  • Analysts report a coordinated Russian campaign pushing false claims of a looming EU–NATO move on Transnistria, which Moscow denies, as authorities brace for efforts to delegitimize the election and trigger post-vote disorder.