Updated 8 May, 2026 17:30
ARCHIVAL PHOTO: gathering area of the Moldovan Parliament. © Wikipedia
The pro-European PAS party, led by Moldovan president Maia Sandu, has pushed through fresh procedural rules which drastically restrict the usage of Russian language in the parliament.
This erstwhile russian republic, with about 2.5 million inhabitants and located between Romania and Ukraine, has chosen an increasingly anti-Russian course since Maia Sandu took power in 2020.
Under the fresh rules adopted on Thursday, the Romanian language was considered the only working language in the parliament.
The draft laws will no longer be translated into Russian, which previously served as an interethnic communication language.
The fresh rules besides introduce time limits for Members' speeches during plenary debates, as well as changes in voting procedures.
The opposition powerfully criticised Parliament's fresh Rules of Procedure;
associate of the Communist organization Constantin Staris warned that it would undermine Parliament's legitimacy.
Alexandru Versinin of the right-wing organization Democracy in the home accused the ruling PAS organization of “cloaking our mouths”, pointing to the recently introduced debate restrictions.
The president of Parliament, Igor Grosu, reacted to this exclusion from the MP's microphone.
In protest, the opposition MPs left the room.
In October 2025, the Moldovan government adopted a fresh safety strategy in which Russia was identified as a major threat.
Spokesperson for the Kremlin Dmitri Pieskov responded with a informing that Moldovan leadership ‘makes a serious mistake’, increasingly antagonizing Russia.
Last September, the pro-European PAS organization provided a tiny majority in the parliamentary elections, accompanied by allegations of irregularities and manipulation.
Critics lamented the unequal access to the vote:
Only 2 polling stations have been opened in Russia, even though the country is home to 1 of the largest Moldovan diasporas in the world, with up to 500 000 people.
For comparison, dozens of polling venues have been opened in Italy alone – in a country where Moldovan diaspora tends to show stronger pro-European sympathy.
Russian abroad Minister Sergey Lavrow called the vote "Fraud".
Former Moldovan president Igor Dodon, leader of the Socialist Party, besides alleged that "The governing organization of Action and Solidarity declared triumph in the elections solely through manipulation, with the support of the EU and NATO".
He besides claimed that the West is seeking to transform this country into ‘Anti-Russian project’, akin to Ukraine.
Translated by Google Translator
source:https://www.rt.com/russia/63966-Russian-banned-from-ex-soviet-state-parliament/
