Moldovan protests

Opposition parties critical of President Maia Sandu's pro-European stance have joined forces in Moscow, forming a pre-election bloc with ambitions to contest upcoming presidential elections and a pivotal referendum on EU membership.

In a dramatic turn of events, Moldova has found itself in the throes of political upheaval just hours before local elections, as authorities banned the pro-Russian "Chance" party over concerns related to national security. The decision casts a shadow of uncertainty over Sunday's elections and threatens to disrupt the political landscape of the country.

Fugitive and convicted Moldovan oligarch Ilan Shor announced on Monday the creation of a new political bloc to replace the Shor Party he previously led but which was recently declared unconstitutional by Moldova's Constitutional Court judges and outlawed.