Moldova's Supreme Court bars Șor-affiliated party from elections
The "Moldova Mare" Party, which is linked to fugitive politician Ilan Șor, has been barred from taking part in Moldova's September parliamentary elections after the country's Supreme Court upheld a ban on the group.
The decision by the Supreme Court of Justice is final and cannot be appealed. It overturned an earlier ruling by a lower court that had compelled the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) to reconsider the party's registration.
The CEC had initially blocked the party from the ballot on the grounds that it failed to meet the required 40% gender quota for its candidate list.
The "Moldova Mare" Party is closely affiliated with convicted businessman Ilan Șor, who is currently in hiding in Russia from Moldovan justice. Last year, journalistic investigations revealed that a network coordinated by Mr. Șor and several priests from the Russian-affiliated Moldovan Orthodox Church were campaigning illegally for the party's leader, Victoria Furtună, during the presidential elections.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
