Electoral fraud crackdown: Moldova moves to ban pro-Shor parties
Moldova’s Central Electoral Commission (CEC) has formally petitioned the Ministry of Justice to initiate the dissolution of the Socialist Party of Moldova and the Force of Alternative and Salvation of Moldova.
The decision, reached during a CEC session on January 20, follows the persistent failure of these entities to submit mandatory financial management reports for the second half of 2025. According to electoral officials, the parties repeatedly ignored legal obligations regarding electronic reporting.
Expanding legal action
The CEC is also urging the Ministry of Justice to include new evidence in the ongoing litigation against the "Șansă" (Chance) Party. This move strengthens existing efforts to dissolve the political organization due to systemic transparency violations.
Additionally, the "Home We Build Europe" (PACE) party is now facing a contravention process. The Commission’s compliance officers launched the proceedings after the party failed to provide its financial management records by the January 15 deadline.
A pattern of non-compliance
Records show that 59 out of 66 registered political parties met the filing requirements. Three other parties—"United Moldova," the Conservative Party, and the Regions’ Party—have already been dissolved by court orders and are awaiting removal from the state register.
The current crackdown is part of a broader oversight effort. In August 2025, the CEC moved to limit the activities of the "Renaștere" (Revival) Party and requested the dissolution of the "Șansă" Party.
The Shor connection
The tightening of regulations follows a detailed audit of the "Victory" Bloc's activities during the 2024 presidential elections and the European integration referendum.
The report concluded that member parties engaged in covert, coordinated operations to manipulate the constitutional referendum on October 20, 2024. These actions were reportedly directed by fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor, the leader of the "Șor" Party, which was declared unconstitutional by Moldova’s Constitutional Court in June 2023.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
