CEC requests dissolution of Șansă party linked to Ilan Șor
A request for the dissolution of the "Șansă" party, a political group affiliated with oligarch Ilan Șor, has been filed in court. A document to this effect was made public on March 5.
The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) has called for the dissolution of the "Șansă" political party, affiliated with Ilan Șor. The vice president of the electoral authority, Pavel Postica, stated to Teleradio-Moldova that a formal complaint was submitted to the Ministry of Justice on February 7.
Postica specified that the political group allegedly failed to meet its legal obligations regarding financial reporting, including during the period when its activities were restricted by a final ruling from the Chișinău Court of Appeal. The leader of "Șansă," Alexei Lungu, rejected the accusations, claiming that all reports had been submitted on time.
CEC requests the dissolution of "Șansă," affiliated with Șor. The request is now in the hands of the Ministry of Justice
The electoral experiences of 2023 and 2024 reveal that parties affiliated with Ilan Șor, who is currently in exile in Moscow, have engaged in various illegal activities, including electoral bribery, organized voter transportation, and failure to report party funding. Consequently, authorities have solid legal grounds to dissolve the political party "Șansă," argues political analyst Nicolae Negru.
"The law must be followed. If the law permits the dissolution of 'Șansă' and the party is indeed violating legislation, then it must be dissolved. Șor is illegally funneling funds into the country and plotting against the Republic of Moldova. There was already a Constitutional Court ruling that banned or dismantled the former 'Șor' party. Given the responsibilities of the Central Electoral Commission, once a decision is made, it must be submitted to the judiciary. The law also allows the party to defend itself in court, and a ruling will determine whether the decision is justified," he explained.
The "Șansă" party was founded in the summer of 2023, shortly after the Constitutional Court declared the former "Șor" party unconstitutional. In the fall of that same year, the party was disqualified from the local elections in November, as it was suspected of illegally financing its campaign, including through bribes offered to voters and mayoral candidates.
In spring 2024, fugitive oligarch Ilan Șor founded the "Victory" political alliance in Moscow, which included several affiliated parties, among them "Șansă." Also in 2024, the party led by Alexei Lungu was suspended for three months by court order, preventing it from participating in the most recent elections. Notably, "Șansă" became the first political party in Moldova to have its activities temporarily restricted, despite such a mechanism having been legally available for 17 years.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
