Moldovan authorities bar one of four pro-russian parties from participating in parliamentary elections ahead of next Sunday's elections – media

The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of Moldova has barred the pro-russian Heart of Moldova party from participating in next Sunday's parliamentary elections, amid allegations of russian interference in the political process.

As reported by the Associated Press, Heart of Moldova is one of four parties in the pro-russian Patriotic Electoral Bloc (BEP), which is considered one of the main opponents of the ruling pro-Western Action and Solidarity party.

The CEC's decision is based on a ruling issued the day before by the Chisinau Court of Appeal, which restricted the party's activities for 12 months. The country's Justice Ministry demanded the restrictions after earlier searches of Heart of Moldova members led to charges of voter bribery, illegal party financing and money laundering.

All candidates nominated by Heart of Moldova for the parliamentary elections will be excluded from the bloc's list of candidates, the Central Election Commission said. The pro-russian center was given 24 hours to correct its list of candidates.

Heart of Moldova leader Irina Vlah condemned the "illegal decision" and called it a "political show, long-invented" by the ruling party. She made a similar statement the day before, condemning the court's decision in Chisinau.

"We have repeatedly filed statements about the crimes committed against us, but there has been no reaction, no changes regarding (us, - ed.), which once again confirms that in recent weeks a certain scenario has been implemented against the party," the statement on its Facebook page reads.

On Thursday, Vlah was banned from entering Latvia, Estonia and Poland, which accused the politician of "helping the russian federation interfere in the preparations for the parliamentary elections."

"Action and Solidarity" has held a majority in the Moldovan parliament since 2021, but risks losing it in the upcoming elections, in which the party will have to face several russia-friendly opponents in the absence of other pro-Western forces.

Earlier this week, Moldovan authorities conducted about 250 searches across the country, detaining more than 100 people as part of an investigation into an alleged moscow-backed plot to organize "mass unrest" in the country ahead of the election. Most of the suspects, aged between 19 and 45, "systematically traveled" to Serbia, where they received training and prepared to "destabilize the situation" in Moldova, authorities said, adding that the operations were coordinated with russia.