On 19 June 2023, the Șor Party was declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court of Moldova and has been banned ever since.
History
The party was founded in 1998 by Moldovan politician Valerii Klimenco as the "Socio-Political Movement 'Equality'".[25] At the 2005 Moldovan parliamentary election, the party won 2.8% of the popular vote but no seats. The party intended to participate to the 2014 Moldovan parliamentary election but later withdrew its list.[26]
In 2015, the party decided to nominate Ilan Shor for Mayor of the town of Orhei. Shor, who was at that point in time under house arrest,[27] won a majority of the votes in the first round of the election and subsequently became the leading figure within the party.[25] In October 2016, Shor was elected president of the party, which was renamed Șor Party. In June 2017, the party President, Ilan Shor was sentenced to 7.5 years in jail for fraud. He broke house arrest and fled the country in 2019 whilst appealing the sentence.[28] On 1 December 2018, the party joined the Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe.[29]
In December 2018, the party created a model collective farm based on its own election programme in the Orhei region, dubbing it the "Commune of Dreams".[30][31][32]
On 8 November 2022, the Moldovan government requested the constitutional court to initiate proceedings for the outlawing of the party in Moldova, due to it allegedly promoting the interests of a foreign state (Russia) and harming the independence and sovereignty of the country.[37][38]
On 13 April 2023, the appeal court doubled the sentence of party President Ilan Shor in a case linked to the theft of $1 billion in bank assets as well as money laundering, breach of trust, and fraud to 15 years in prison in absentia and froze his assets. Shor was living in Israel at the time of the court ruling after having fled Moldova in 2019.[39] On 27 April 2023 a plenary session of the parliament voted to revoke Shor's parliamentary mandate. Shor appealed the decision to the Constitutional court but lost he appeal on 5 May 2023.[40]
On 1 May 2023, the party's Vice President, Marina Tauber, was detained at the Chișinău International Airport while trying to leave the country for Israel via Turkey. She was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office on charges of illegally funding the party.[41][42]
In May 2023 an investigation was launched into a suspected case of bribery of voters by the Șor Party during the 2023 Gagauz gubernatorial election.[40]
Controversies
On 19 June 2023, the Șor Party was declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court of Moldova.[43][44][45] Șor declared that the party will continue its activity and that it will contest in the next elections.[46]Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman of the Russian foreign ministry, said that the decision to declare the Sor Party unconstitutional contravened democratic principles.[47] The court chairman Nicolae Roșca cited "an article in the constitution stating that parties must through their activities uphold political pluralism, the rule of law and the territorial integrity of Moldova."[48] The current six serving MP's of the Șor Party being allowed to continue as independents.
On 31 July, the Moldovan parliament voted in favour of banning the leaders of the dissolved Șor Party – including Ilan Shor – from standing in elections for a period of five years.[49] In October the Constitutional Court of Moldova ruled that Article 16 of the Electoral Code is unconstitutional and that former members of the Șor Party can stand for elections.[50]
In March 2024, the Constitutional Court declared that while the party is deemed unconstitutional, individuals linked to the party may not be forbidden to run for office. Maia Sandu said she would "respect the ruling, but continue trying to ban its leaders."[53]
A commitment to law and order including both reinstating the death penalty for particularly dangerous criminals and addressing the underlying socioeconomic issues that may cause crime.
The opening paragraphs of the party's 2008 election programme stated that it viewed the average person's quality of life as superior under the Soviet Union when compared to modern times. It further stated that it viewed Moldova's alleged socio-economic problems as relating to Moldova's negative relationship with the Russian Federation.[56] As of 2021, the party supported moving the capital to Orhei.[57] It proposed to improve the socioeconomic situation of Moldovans by restoring Soviet economic policies, such as “measures to restore agriculture through the reconstitution of state farms” and “the nationalization of industry”.[58]
^ abStrazzari, Francesco; Bolkvadze, Ketevan; Machavariani, Maia; Putină, Natalia; Sniadanko, Oleksandr; Petrov, Roman; Gueudet, Sophie; Teosa, Valentina (30 September 2024). "Hybridity and hybrid regimes in the Eastern Neighbourhood in a time of war and increased geopolitical tensions"(PDF). D7.1 Background paper. European Union's Horizon Europe: 28. The main left-wing parties, such as Igor Dodon's Socialist Party, Renato Usatîi's "Our Party" and formerly the Communist Party, the Former "Sor" Party, were dependent on Moscow, which provides them with financial, political and media support, considering them as tools for its own political objectives towards Moldova.
^ abTăbârță, Ion. "The early parliamentary elections of July 11, 2021: the Republic of Moldova between past and future"(PDF). Power, Politics & Policy (14). IDIS „Viitorul”: 1. The main left and center-left parties registered in this electoral race were: the Electoral Block of Communists and Socialists (BeCS), the "Șor" Party, the "Renato Usatii" Electoral Bloc (Be"RU"), the Common Action Party – the Civic Congress and the Democratic Party of Moldova (PDM).
^ abSocor, Vladimir (2 July 2020). "Igor Dodon, Moldova's Strawman Dictator (Part Two)". Eurasia Daily Monitor. 17 (96). The leftist competitors are the fugitive billionaire Ilan Shor's "Shor Party" and the Moscow-parachuted Balti city mayor Renato Usatii's Our Party.
^"Archived copy". a.cec.md. Archived from the original on 8 September 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)