Moldovan authorities bar pro-Russian party from Sunday’s election

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(Reuters) -Election officials in Moldova barred a pro-Russian party on Friday from standing in Sunday’s parliamentary election, a move that threatens to raise tensions ahead of the high-stakes vote.

The decision by the Central Election Committee to exclude Heart of Moldova, part of the pro-Russian Patriotic Bloc, followed a court ruling limiting the party’s activity for one year.

Sunday’s poll could have sweeping consequences for Moldova, whose pro-European government has warned of extensive Russian-backed efforts to sway the vote and derail Chisinau’s bid to join the European Union.

Heart of Moldova, the subject of an investigation into illegal party financing, said it was facing baseless attacks by the pro-European government.

“This isn’t justice, but a final act of a dirty show orchestrated in advance by authorities with a single goal: to silence us,” it said in a statement.

Thirty-six candidates have been struck from the ballot following the decision. Party leader Irina Vlah was sanctioned by several European Union member states members this week on suspicion of assisting Russian interference.

In recent weeks, police have conducted hundreds of raids targeting illicit financing and alleged Russian-backed efforts to stoke unrest in an election campaign marred by widespread disinformation.

Polls indicate that the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) could lose its majority as the Patriotic Bloc and other opponents court voters upset with high prices and the slow pace of reforms.

Having to govern in coalition could significantly hamper the PAS’s effort to get Moldova into the EU by 2030, experts say.

(Reporting by Alexander Tanas; Writing by Dan Peleschuk; Editing by Kevin Liffey)