Moldova Bars Fugitive Oligarch Shor’s Party From EU Referendum

Court upholds Central Electoral Commission’s decision to reject pro-Russian Ilan Shor party’s application to take part in the campaign for Moldova’s looming EU membership referendum.

Moldova’s Supreme Court of Justice on Tuesday upheld the decision of the Central Electoral Commission, CEC to reject an application from Ilan Shor’s pro-Russian Victory party to participate in the campaign for the constitutional referendum on October 20.

Moldovans are due to go to the polls next month to vote on whether they want to amend the constitution to allow the country to join the European Union.

Shor was sentenced to 15 years in prison in April 2023 in Moldova over the so-called “Grand Theft” of one billion US dollars from Moldovan banks and is currently hiding from justice in Russia.

To campaign for a “yes” or a “no” vote in the constitutional referendum on October 20, political parties and electoral blocs must register with the CEC.

The CEC said it had asked the Central Permanent Bureau of the Victory party for documents certifying its numerical composition, as well as the list of persons present at the meeting of the party’s National Political Council at which the decision to participate in the referendum was made.

It said the Victory party did not present the information sought by the CEC, so its right to register as a participant in the referendum was rejected.

The Victory party, the Renaissance party, the Chance party and the Alternative and Salvation Force of Moldova are all part of the same pro-Russian bloc controlled by Shor.

The referendum on the accession of Moldova to the EU will take place on the same day as presidential elections.

Pro-Western and pro-EU President Maia Sandu is standing for re-election and is currently the front-runner./BI/