Moldova’s political tug of war between its pro-EU government and the Euro-skeptic opposition entered a new phase on June 19 when the country’s Constitutional Court banned the opposition Șor party, allegedly under instigation of the government. The court ruled that the pro-Russian party “was acting contrary to the principles of the rule of law and posed a threat to the sovereignty and independence of the country.” Moldovan President Maia Sandu and her Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) welcomed the verdict, while opposition parties including the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM) and the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) slammed it as “an extremely dangerous precedent with serious consequences for the political system of Moldova.”
Șor, which has six MPs in the current parliament, is a pro-Russian conservative populist party that has been organizing fierce protests against the government’s desperate attempts to integrate Moldova into the European Union (EU). It also protested the failure of the PAS government in tackling the cost of living crisis in the country.
The party, formed in 1998, was called the Socio-Political Movement “Equality” until 2016. Its leader Ilan Shor is currently in exile following his conviction in a case of money laundering.
Over the past few years, politics and society in the post-Soviet Republic of Moldova have been deeply polarized on the issue of ties with Russia and the EU. Against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, Sandu and her government, by stoking Russophobia, intensified the pursuit for EU membership last year, which was advertised as the solution to all problems faced by the people of the country. Sandu derided anti-government protesters as pro-Russian saboteurs and accused Russia of trying to overthrow the Moldovan government using the opposition parties, particularly Șor.
The PAS government’s plans to withdraw from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), an intergovernmental political and economic cooperation forum founded by the post-Soviet Republics in Asia and Europe, were met with strong opposition. The government’s bid to ban the public display of Soviet and Russian symbols also evoked massive protests. The opposition accused the government of fanning Russophobia amid the war in Ukraine to cover up corruption and its failure to tackle the socio-economic crisis. The annual inflation rate in Moldova stood at 16.3% in May 2023.
Following the verdict, the Șor party leadership announced that they will continue their political work. According to reports, as the registration of the party has been revoked, legislators from Șor have to work as independents.
The Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM) stated that “the constitutional court’s verdict undermines the foundations of the democratic principle of the multi-party system. Today’s precedent of banning the Șor party can be applied to any other political force and primarily to the PAS party which usurped power in the state. No doubt, this particular party will fall victim to its own precedent. The one who kills democracy will sooner or later be removed from the political arena.”
