Moldovan parliament in turmoil, future of 'Democracy at Home' Party uncertain
Voting during parliamentary elections in Moldova (Illustrative photo: Getty Images)
Whether the pro-Romanian Democracy at Home will have a parliamentary faction in Moldova will be decided by the Constitutional Court, according to News Maker.
Moldova’s Central Election Commission found that Democracy at Home violated the Electoral Code by running a coordinated campaign on TikTok and failing to report expenses for social media promotion. As a result, there are grounds to annul the party’s registration in the parliamentary elections.
Since the voting has already taken place, the decision to cancel or confirm the results now rests with the Constitutional Court.
Additionally, the Central Election Commission (CEC) issued another warning to the Democracy at Home party and cut its state funding for one year. This decision can be appealed in the Appeals Chamber.
Complaints against Democracy at Home were filed by PAS and the National Investigation Inspectorate. They claimed the party used a network of fake accounts on TikTok and other social media platforms, which actively circulated its materials and garnered millions of views.
PAS also pointed to a video featuring the leader of Romania’s AUR party, George Simion, who is banned from entering Moldova. In the video, the politician urged voters to support Vasile Costiuc’s party in the parliamentary elections.
Costiuc has denied all allegations.
In the parliamentary elections held on September 28, Democracy at Home received 5.62% of the vote. The party advocates for unification with Romania and maintains ties with Romania’s far-right political group AUR.
Moldova elections
Moldova elected 101 members of parliament, and the elections were held for the first time under the new Electoral Code. Nearly 2,000 polling stations were opened in the country, with around 300 more abroad.
Russia attempted to influence the vote by supporting Kremlin-aligned political forces. Numerous reports also emerged about alleged threats of explosives at polling stations abroad.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu warned that if Moldova falls under Russian control, the country could become a foothold for a Russian military invasion of Ukraine’s Odesa region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cautioned that if pro-Russian forces enter Moldova’s parliament, it could pose risks for everyone.
