“A cold shower for the Moldovan authorities was the final PACE report on monitoring the parliamentary elections. International observers confirmed everything we had said: PAS abused administrative resources, the law was applied selectively, and ‘Inima Moldovei’ was excluded from the elections without demonstrated violations,” declared Irina Vlah, leader of the Republican Party “Inima Moldovei.”

The politician noted, in a video address, that the Republican Party “Inima Moldovei” welcomes the PACE report on observing the parliamentary elections of September 28, 2025, and appreciates the efforts made to fairly evaluate the electoral process in the Republic of Moldova.

She expressed deep concern regarding the major issues identified in the report, in particular:

• legislative changes adopted after the election date was set, undermining stability and predictability of the legal framework;
• refusal to register certain electoral competitors based on confidential information, without transparency and without respecting institutional competences;
• lack of guarantees against selective application of the law and absence of effective appeal mechanisms;
• external interference, illegal financing, and administrative manipulation in opening polling stations abroad;
• voter disinformation and abusive use of administrative resources, a recurring problem affecting equal opportunities;
• executive influence in the appointment of judges;
• the late decision of the CEC to exclude “Inima Moldovei” from the race, based on suspicions not publicly explained and unjustified precautionary measures, directly impacting legal certainty and electoral competition;
• uneven investigations that weaken trust in the integrity of the electoral process.

“We believe these decisions reduced democratic competition and the real options available to voters,” she said.

Considering these findings, Vlah called on the authorities to ensure that any exclusion of an electoral competitor is based on clear, publicly presented evidence and adopted well before election day; and to restore legality in the case of “Inima Moldovei” by withdrawing the precautionary measure, given that no evidence was presented to justify maintaining restrictions and the legal deadline for examining the case has expired.

She reiterated PACE’s recommendations on strengthening democracy, electoral integrity, and pluralism, including: avoiding legislative changes in the pre-electoral year and clarifying gaps in existing legislation; strict and exceptional criteria for limiting parties, with effective appeal mechanisms; transparency in establishing polling stations, including abroad and for citizens on the left bank of the Dniester; guaranteeing equal access to media and combating disinformation; sanctioning abuse of administrative resources and ensuring transparency of political financing; facilitating voting abroad and ensuring equal access for all citizens; applying precautionary measures only in extreme cases, with public justification and rapid judicial control, or eliminating the possibility of applying such measures during the electoral period to avoid undermining competition and public trust in the electoral process.

“We reaffirm our commitment to a fair, transparent, and equitable electoral process, in the spirit of respecting international standards and strengthening democracy in the Republic of Moldova,” emphasized Irina Vlah.