"On Friday, the commission excluded the Heart of Moldova and Moldova Mare parties, citing allegations of illegal financing, voter bribery and undeclared foreign funds. Both parties had campaigned on closer ties with Moscow, challenging the pro-Western government ahead of Sunday's ballot. The decision against the Heart of Moldova followed a ruling by the Chisinau Court of Appeal that restricted the party's activities for 12 months. The Ministry of Justice requested the ban after searches earlier this month led to accusations of money laundering, illicit financing."
"The party rejected the charges, describing the move as a political purge. This isn't justice, but a final act of a dirty show orchestrated in advance by authorities with a single goal: to silence us, it said in a statement. Its leader, Irina Vlah, also condemned the ruling, calling it a political spectacle, concocted a long time ago by the governing party. The electoral commission said all candidates put forward by Heart of Moldova would be removed from the Russia-friendly Patriotic Electoral Bloc (BEP)."
Moldova's electoral commission barred the Heart of Moldova and Moldova Mare from the parliamentary ballot, citing illegal financing, voter bribery and undeclared foreign funds. Heart of Moldova faced a 12-month restriction after a Chisinau Court of Appeal ruling and a Justice Ministry request following searches alleging money laundering and illicit financing. The party denied the allegations and called the move a political purge. The commission removed Heart of Moldova candidates from the Russia-friendly Patriotic Electoral Bloc and gave the bloc 24 hours to adjust its list. Moldova Mare was also barred over alleged vote-buying, hidden foreign financing and links to a camouflaged electoral bloc. The vote will decide Moldova's European Union trajectory versus closer ties with Moscow.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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