Republic of Moldova - December 2023

A campaign finance investigation by Moldovan media outlet TV8 found that Chisinau mayor Ion Ceban’s National Alternative Movement (MAN) Party and the Ilan Shor-linked Renaissance Party both systematically used “straw donors” to fund their 2023 local election campaigns. While campaign finance fraud is historically common in Moldova and has rarely been successfully prosecuted, TV8’s detailed reporting is novel. In both cases, official records showed private individuals making almost exclusively cash donations. In MAN’s case, the donations were often on the same day and in the same amount by large groups of employees working at the same state institution, and in Renaissance’s case, by students and pensioners. Individuals interviewed by TV8 journalists either denied making any contribution at all, incorrectly recalled the details of their donation, or refused to speak to the journalists. The investigation found no similar activity by the ruling PAS or Socialists. It is unclear if prosecutors plan to follow up on TV8’s investigation.

Sources: Moldova Matters, TV8