ELECTIONS 2025 // PLDM definitively barred from Sept 28 elections, denounces ‘procedural abuse'
The Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (PLDM), led by former Prime Minister Vlad Filat, will not be able to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections this fall. On September 2, the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) accepted the appeal from the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) and rejected the PLDM's appeal, thereby upholding the party's exclusion from the list of parties eligible to run in the elections. In response, the party's representatives announced their intention to inform international monitoring missions and to challenge the ruling at the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).
The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) declined to include the party on the list of those eligible to participate in the elections. This decision was based on information from the Public Services Agency, which indicated that changes regarding the members of the PLDM's central executive bodies were registered on July 15, one day later than the law stipulates.
The party, led by Vlad Filat, contends that it submitted the necessary documents on time, specifically on July 14. Additionally, the Central Court of Appeal instructed the CEC to reexamine the PLDM's request for registration in the electoral race.
However, the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) found that the lower court had not adequately considered all the circumstances of the case. The SCJ determined that attempting to resume the examination of an act that had already become final represented an effort to bypass legal deadlines.
In its ruling, the SCJ sided with the CEC, emphasizing that "electoral terms are not arbitrary but are, in principle, due dates set to ensure the predictability and continuity of the electoral process."
The decision made by the Supreme Court of Justice is final and cannot be appealed.
PLDM: Allegations of procedural abuse by the CEC
The Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (PLDM) has condemned the manner in which their case was handled, accusing the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) of engaging in "non-transparent practices and ignoring critical evidence." The PLDM asserts that they submitted the necessary documents on July 14, a claim supported by the Public Services Agency. However, the court opted to uphold the CEC's "formal thesis."
In a statement, the party criticized the court's decision, which was announced "practically in secret, like thieves in the night," without prior notification to the involved parties. This has raised serious questions about the court's impartiality and adherence to the principles of transparency and access to justice.
The PLDM contends that this verdict effectively legitimized "a procedural abuse by the CEC" and denied the party an effective remedy, consequently violating the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) standards regarding the right to be elected and access to justice.
On August 18, the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (PLDM) challenged the Central Electoral Commission's (CEC) decision to exclude it from the list of eligible parties for the upcoming elections on September 28. The party argued that it had fulfilled all its legal obligations and requested an extension for submitting the necessary documents. CEC Vice-President Pavel Postica explained that the party had failed to submit the required documents to the Public Services Agency on time, resulting in its exclusion from the list.
Ten days later, the Central Court of Appeal ordered the CEC to reconsider PLDM's requests. However, both the party and the electoral authority filed appeals to the Supreme Court of Justice.
Vlad Filat's conviction in the bank fraud case
In June 2016, former Prime Minister Vlad Filat was sentenced to nine years in prison for passive corruption and influence peddling. This sentence followed a self-denunciation from fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor, who was also later convicted of fraud within the banking system. While in prison, Filat sought justice from the European Court of Human Rights, claiming that his right to a fair trial had been violated.
In 2023, four years after his release, the Court ordered the government in Chisinau to pay Vlad Filat €7,500 in moral damages. Filat had requested damages four times higher, amounting to €30,000. In 2024, he was acquitted of charges related to money laundering in particularly large amounts, although anti-corruption prosecutors appealed the sentence.
On December 16, 2024, the Supreme Court of Justice rejected Filat and his lawyers' request to review and annul the decisions made in his criminal case, as well as to retrial the case in a lower court.
The Supreme Court emphasized that “the violation identified by the European Court of Human Rights pertains to the publicity of the trial.” It stated, “This violation does not involve procedural errors or deficiencies that would cast doubt on the irrevocable verdict reached regarding the accusations against Vladimir Filat.”
