Moldova banned the pro-Kremlin Greater Moldova (Moldova Mare) party from the upcoming parliamentary elections due to suspicions of illegal financing, officials said on Sept. 27.
A day earlier, the country's Central Electoral Commission also suspended the Heart of Moldova party, one of four factions in the Russia-friendly Patriotic Bloc that seeks to challenge the ruling pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS).
Moldovans head to the polls on Sept. 28 for a pivotal parliamentary vote that could threaten the PAS majority, potentially derailing Chisinau from its path to accession in the European Union.
The Central Electoral Commission decided to exclude both the Heart of Moldova and Greater Moldova parties from the vote after police, security, and intelligence officials uncovered evidence that the groups were using illegal financing, the commission said.
Moldovan intelligence services reportedly also provided information on Greater Moldova's association with the Victory Bloc, a slate of pro-Russian political factions backed by exiled oligarch Ilan Shor.
Shor has allegedly used $8 billion in cryptocurrency to help Russia evade sanctions and meddle in Moldova's upcoming elections, blockchain firm Elliptic reported on Sept. 26, citing leaked documents from Shor's companies.
The report followed media investigations that revealed an extensive Russian propaganda and interference campaign ahead of Moldova's elections.
Bloomberg reported on Sept. 22 that leaked Kremlin documents outline a multi-layered strategy to weaken PAS, the party of President , while boosting pro-Russian groups.
A BBC investigation published a day earlier uncovered a Russia-funded network offering payments to Moldovan citizens to spread propaganda and disinformation aimed at discrediting Sandu's government.
The BBC reported that undercover journalists had found Shor-linked operatives paying Moldovans to secretly recruit voters for pro-Russian opposition parties and carry out fake polling for a non-existent organization.
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