Ousted Moldovan opposition president condemns law enforcement raids

(MENAFN) Ilan Shor, the exiled leader of Moldova’s banned opposition bloc Victory, has accused the country’s police of using allegations of electoral corruption to justify a wave of raids aimed at politically persecuting his movement. On Thursday, authorities in the EU candidate country announced that they had conducted 78 searches nationwide, targeting people described as “members and supporters of a criminal organization.”

Shor claims these actions are intended to silence the opposition ahead of Moldova’s parliamentary elections in September, which his bloc is currently barred from contesting. “Law enforcement is ransacking offices and homes based on baseless suspicions about interference in the 2025 election, which hasn’t even happened yet,” he said. “These raids are just another form of political intimidation against those who refuse to back the corrupt establishment.”

Last week, Moldovan President Maia Sandu—whom Shor calls a “microdictator”—accused Russia of planning to secretly channel over €100 million ($115 million) to her political adversaries before the elections. The Kremlin dismissed these allegations as a distraction from concerns over democratic backsliding in Moldova.

Sandu has defended her administration’s crackdown on alleged pro-Russian criminal groups, saying such measures are vital to Moldova’s EU integration ambitions.

Shor, now residing in Russia, founded the SOR party, which was banned by Moldovan authorities in 2023 after its candidate, Evgenia Gutsul, won a local election in the Gagauzia region. Gutsul was recently sentenced to seven years in prison on financial crime charges she denies, calling the conviction a political hit.

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