Moldovan Constitutional Court Rules Elections for Parliament Valid

Opposition leader Andrei Nastase accused the government of poisoning him. (Wikimedia Commons)

The Constitutional Court of Moldova confirmed on March 9 the outcome of the country’s parliamentary elections from February 24. The confirmation comes after opposition parties appealed to the court to invalidate the election results in several constituencies, an appeal which the court has now struck down.

Days before the parliamentary election, Moldovan opposition leaders Andrei Nastase and Maia Sandu claimed that authorities had poisoned them. According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Nastase stated that the “authorities want our deaths.” A spokesman for the then-ruling Democratic Party denied the allegations, Reuters reports.

Medical records provided to RFE/RL’s Moldovan Service show both opposition leaders demonstrated abnormal, elevated levels of mercury in their blood. A Moldovan toxicology expert told RFE/RL that the levels were not life-threatening.

Nastase and Sandu are part of the parliament’s pro-Western ACUM bloc, which opposes both the then-ruling Democratic Party and the Socialists, which prefers closer ties with Russia. While the Democratic Party leans towards the West, it remains marred by consistent allegations of corruption.

According to RFE/RL, the Central Election Commission asserted that the elections transpired without “major incidents,” but pro-Russian and pro-European supporters accused the Democratic Party of fraud and vote-buying. The government reported a turnout of just over 49 percent.

Sandu went as far as to say that “these were the least democratic elections in the history of Moldova,” reports RFE/RL.

Russia’s decision to announce that it was opening an investigation into a suspected money-laundering scheme involving the Democratic Party’s leader just two days before the election led critics to decry Russian influence.

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) election monitors stated that Moldova’s elections were “competitive and fundamental rights were respected.” However, they added that there were “strong indications of vote buying.”

Weaknesses of the electoral system included a lack of mechanisms to reduce the influence of the wealthy and poor supervision of party and candidate funding.

The State Department released its own statement on February 27 echoing the OSCE’s assessment and expressing concerns over the alleged violations.

Reuters reports that the Socialists won 35 out of 101 seats; the Democrats, 30; ACUM, 26; and the conservative Shor Party, 7. The ACUM bloc pledged not to coalition with either party. If no coalition forms within 45 days, President Igor Dodon will dissolve the legislature and order new elections.

Although the court affirmed the validity of the election results, Moldovan politics are no more stable. With no parties pleased with the results, cooperating to form a government may be difficult. Corruption, mismanagement, and the slow pace of reforms have led the EU to express growing frustration at Moldova’s direction, and the country remains at the center of an EU-Russia tug-o-war.