Irina Vlah, leader of the Republican Party Inima Moldovei, stated during a press conference that the party had been subjected to abuses for eight months, having its activity restricted and being excluded from the parliamentary elections based on suspicions that were ultimately not confirmed. She also announced the next steps the party will take to fully resume its activity, TRIBUNA reports.

Vlah recalled that in September 2025, just two days before the 28 September parliamentary elections, the candidates of the Republican Party Inima Moldovei were removed from the race over allegations of supposed illegal financing. Based on the same suspicions, the party’s activity was restricted through a precautionary measure.

“Moreover, although the court was required to rule on the merits of the case within two months, there is still no decision to this day. As a result, the Republican Party Inima Moldovei has been kept under unjustified restrictions for eight months. During this entire period, the Central Electoral Commission conducted an extensive review of our financial activity. The conclusion is clear and unequivocal: the suspicions of illegal financing were not confirmed. This means only one thing — the Republican Party Inima Moldovei was abusively excluded from the elections, and the eight‑month restriction of its activity was and continues to be an abuse.

To understand how we got here, we must go back to 14 June 2025. Less than four months before the elections, Parliament amended the Law on Political Parties, ignoring international standards and principles, allowing a party to be excluded from elections and have its activity restricted solely on the basis of suspicions. It was evident even then that a dangerous scenario for democracy was being prepared. What happened afterward to the Republican Party Inima Moldovei fully confirmed these concerns,” she said.

Vlah reiterated that a political party cannot be sanctioned solely on the basis of suspicions. Such a mechanism violates the presumption of innocence, the right to defense, and the constitutional right to be elected. She added that she had repeatedly stated that the party’s financial activity was conducted strictly in accordance with the law. “We were not heard. The real interest was different: removing from the race a party that had become inconvenient,” she noted.

She emphasized that now, “after the Central Electoral Commission’s review, it is clearer than ever that the Republican Party Inima Moldovei was the victim of a serious abuse and an unprecedented anti‑democratic deviation. Even more concerning is the fact that the provisions that made this abuse possible remain in force.”

“In March this year, the Venice Commission issued a very clear opinion: a party’s activity cannot be restricted solely on the basis of suspicions, and exclusion from elections cannot occur exclusively on unverified allegations. Moreover, the Venice Commission warned of a particularly serious risk: turning a precautionary measure — which by nature must be exceptional, temporary, and strictly time‑limited — into an indefinite restriction. This is exactly the situation in which the Republican Party Inima Moldovei finds itself today. Although the restriction was presented as a temporary measure, it has now been maintained for eight months without a ruling on the merits. We thus reach an unacceptable legal and democratic paradox: a precautionary measure produces harsher and longer‑lasting effects than the sanction that could have been applied after a full examination of the case. And today we know that the suspicions underlying these measures were not confirmed.

In other words, our party has endured extremely severe restrictions for eight months before the authorities demonstrated the existence of any violation. This contradicts not only the Venice Commission’s recommendations but also fundamental principles of the rule of law, proportionality, and the presumption of innocence. After the Venice Commission opinion was published, I publicly requested that Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu repeal the abusive provisions of the Law on Political Parties. To this day, we have received no response. Through this silence, the authorities not only ignore the Venice Commission’s recommendations but also send a dangerous signal that such abuses may be repeated in the future,” she added.

Vlah also announced the next steps her team will take:

• “We will request the Ministry of Justice to withdraw its application currently pending before the Chișinău Court of Appeal regarding our party’s activity. Similar requests will be submitted to the court.
• Given that the Central Electoral Commission has confirmed the legality of the party’s financing, there is no longer any basis for maintaining the restrictions.
• We will continue efforts to eliminate the abusive provisions from the Law on Political Parties.
• We will keep the diplomatic corps accredited in Chișinău, development partners, and the public at home and abroad informed about every step, every development, and any attempt to block the restoration of legality.”

“The Republican Party Inima Moldovei has achieved an important victory. We have proven that we operate legally and that the accusations behind our exclusion from the elections were not confirmed. But this victory is not only ours. It is a victory for truth, for the rule of law, and for democratic principles. That is why we will not stop here. We will continue to fight for justice, for respect for the law, and for genuine democracy in the Republic of Moldova. I am confident that we will succeed once again,” she concluded.