Four pro-Russian parties in Moldova have announced a merger in a bid to win parliamentary elections and defeat the current pro-European government, Reuters reports.
It is currently estimated that President Maia Sandu’s party may not be able to win a majority in the parliamentary elections scheduled for the 28th of September. Moldova, which is located between Ukraine and Romania, still has strong Russian influence.
The alliance will be made up of former President Igor Dodon’s Socialist Party, the Heart of Moldova, the Future of Moldova and the Communist Party. Introducing the new alliance, Dodon said he wanted to strengthen ties with Russia and end “the implementation of foreign and NATO interests in Moldova.”
The former president added that his party wanted peace, not war.
Last year, Sandu was re-elected with a very small margin, and in a referendum on moving towards joining the European Union, only 50% of the population supported her.
On the 19th of July, the Moldovan electoral commission refused to register the party of exiled pro-Kremlin oligarch Ilan Shor. Officials said Shor was closely linked to Russian interference in Moldova’s domestic politics and its move towards EU membership. Shor has denied the accusations and said the ban on participating in the elections was absurd.
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