Moldova's pro-Russian parties form bloc ahead of September election

People, including ex-President Igor Dodon, join a Victory Day march in Moldova,  9 May, 2023.
Reuters

Four pro-Russian parties in Moldova announced on Tuesday they will unite in a bid to win the September 28 parliamentary election and challenge the pro-European government of President Maia Sandu.

The alliance will bring together the Party of Socialists, led by former president Igor Dodon, the Communist Party, and the Heart of Moldova and Future of Moldova parties.

"We are in favour of re-establishing strategic ties with Russia. We want peace, not war ... Our bloc will put an end to foreign interests and NATO," Dodon told a press conference.

Sandu’s Party of Action and Solidarity could struggle to secure a majority in the state, which lies between Ukraine and Romania.

Sandu won re-election last year by a narrow margin over a Socialist challenger, while a referendum on backing Moldova’s EU membership drive only just passed with slightly over 50% support.

Moldova’s election committee on 19 July rejected the registration of the Victory bloc, formed in 2024 and backed by pro-Kremlin fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor, for the upcoming vote.

Moldovan officials have accused Shor of playing a key role in Russian-backed efforts to derail the country’s EU course. Shor denies the allegations and called the decision “absurd.”

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