Moldova’s banned party leader to form new political bloc

Exiled politician and businessman Ilan Shor said he hopes for a “total victory” in future elections

Supporters of the Sor Party outside the Constitutional Court of Moldova in Chisinau, June 19, 2023. ©  Elena Covalenco / AFP

Moldovan politician and businessman Ilan Shor is creating a new political bloc, which is set to replace his recently banned Sor Party. Shor, who has fled to Israel in order to escape criminal prosecution, explained on Monday that the bloc is called SOR, which he said was an acronym for “chance, commitments, realization.” 

Shor said the new political organization would fight for a “total victory in local, presidential and parliamentary elections” in order to make Moldova “wealthy, prosperous, and truly independent.” He later told the media that he planned that “around 10 parties” would join the bloc. Shor said he would be “the coordinator” of the new outfit, rather than its chairman. 

Current Moldovan authorities have described the Sor Party as “pro-Russian” and accused it of being a tool of “oligarchs.” On June 19, the country’s top court ruled that the Sor’s activities were unconstitutional and ordered for it to be dissolved. The members of Moldova’s parliament elected on the party’s ticket did not automatically lose their seats and were allowed to remain as independents. 

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Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu said on Monday that the Constitutional Court’s ruling was “a powerful signal” that “any political party, which deliberately breaks the law, will face consequences.” 

In April, a court in Chisinau sentenced Ilan Shor to 15 years in prison for bank fraud and money laundering. Shor insisted that the case against him was politically motivated, as was the crackdown on his party. 

For many months, the Sor Party has led protests against high utility bills and the cost of living in Moldova, during which people called on the country’s pro-EU president, Maia Sandu, to resign. Sandu has accused Russia of plotting to topple her government and destabilize the situation in Moldova. Moscow rejected these claims.

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