Fugitive pro-Kremlin opposition politician challenges results of Moldovan election

Exiled Moldovan opposition politician Ilan Shor has refused to recognise the legitimacy of the country’s parliamentary elections, which resulted in a resounding victory for the ruling pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), Russian state-funded media reported on Monday.

Moldova’s parliamentary election, which took place on Sunday, saw the PAS, which is led by Moldovan President Maia Sandu, receive 50% of the vote, ahead of the pro-Russian Patriotic Electoral Bloc with below 25%.

In an interview with Russian state broadcaster Rossiya-24, Shor accused the government of electoral fraud, claiming there was widespread ballot stuffing and that “hundreds” of opposition activists had been arrested in advance of the election.

Shor, who was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison for money laundering in 2014 and sanctioned by the US in 2022 for his ties to Moscow, claimed that “10, 15, 20% of people were deliberately intimidated to prevent them from going to the polls” and said he intended to challenge the election’s legitimacy through both domestic and international channels.

Much like the 2024 presidential election, Sunday’s parliamentary vote has been mired in controversy with widespread reports of Russian interference. In 2024, Shor was said to have played a leading role in Russian-backed electoral interference, and various parties linked to him have been banned by Moldovan authorities, amid accusations that foreign money was used to bribe candidates and voters.

Two pro-Russian parties were banned in the run-up to Sunday’s election, one of which has been linked to Shor’s banned Moldovan opposition group Pobeda.

Shor gained notoriety following 2014’s “theft of the century”, when it came to light that he was involved in siphoning over €800 million from three Moldovan banks off to offshore accounts. Furthermore, investigative journalists linked companies associated with him to the “Russian Laundromat”, a massive money laundering operation uncovered in the early 2010s.

Despite his tarnished record, Shor was able to achieve political success in Moldova prior to his 2017 sentencing, winning the mayoralty in the city of Orhei while under investigation. He has been operating in exile since fleeing Moldova in 2019, initially in Israel but now in Russia.