Of the 11 candidates who managed to collect the necessary signatures from voters, only one will take over the management of the country for the next four years. The decision will be taken at the polls on October 20. IPN News Agency provides a comprehensive description of each presidential election candidate, including their professional and personal background, held positions, declared income and property, as well as their promises for the future of the Republic of Moldova. Know the candidates, choose responsibly!

Irina Vlah is running as an independent candidate for the office of President of the Republic of Moldova, with the slogan “President of Peace”.

She is the first woman elected as governor of the Territorial Administrative Unit of Gagauzia, who served two terms during 2015-2023. She is currently the president of the Public Association “Moldova Platform”.

The candidate was born on February 26, 1974 in the city of Comrat, Comrat district. She is divorced and has a child.

Between 1991 and 1996, she studied at the Comrat State University. During 2001-2008, she studied at the Institute of History, State and Law of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova. She is a doctor of law. The title of her doctoral thesis was “The modern conception of public service development in the Republic of Moldova”.

She started her career in 1996, as a lawyer at the Tax Inspectorate of ATU Gagauzia, where she worked until 2003. Since 2003, she held the position of head of the Legal Department of the Executive Committee of Gagauzia.

She sat in the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova and was part of the Political Executive Committee of the Party of Communists. In January 2015, before the Bashkan election, Irina Vlah announced her decision to leave the ranks of the Communists. Two months later, benefiting from the political support of the Socialists, she won the Bashkan election by the first round of voting. Four years later, she was reelected for another term.

In 2023, she announced her decision to create her own political project after the completion of her duties as governor of ATU Gagauzia, and on November 16 she launched the Public Association “Moldova Platform” as an anti-government sociopolitical project.

According to the property declaration for 2023, Irina Vlah earned 517,700 lei salaries as a Bashkan. The candidate owns an apartment that is 113 square meters, obtained through a donation contract, with the declared value of over 657,000 lei. She also owns a garage, also obtained through a donation contract, to the value of over 121,000 lei.

She started her campaign for the presidential election in Naslavcea, which is the northernmost locality of the Republic of Moldova, accusing the authorities of restricting her access to the observation platform “Heart of the Nistru”, where she intended to hold the event.

The candidate said that her electoral program focuses strictly on the concrete problems of the people and solutions to them, and peace and prosperity for Moldova are the main objectives of her team.

“People who love their country and who are ready to fight for a different future – a future of a peaceful and prosperous Moldova - gathered in Naslavcea. Such people are in the majority. And we have seen this in the past six months, during the hundreds of meetings we had in all districts of the country. The current regime is already a thing of the past. On October 20, we will turn this page and start the reconstruction of the country,” noted Irina Vlah.

The candidate plans to end her campaign in Giurgiulesti, the southernmost locality of the country. “From the Nistru to the Danube, this is our road, which will culminate in victory!”, said Irina Vlah.

The candidate ends her campaign in Giurgiulesti, the southernmost locality of the country. “From the Nistru to the Danube, this is our road, which will culminate in victory!", said Irina Vlah.

As for the referendum on joining the EU, which will be held simultaneously with the presidential election, Irina Vlah urges the voters to take part in the plebiscite, but to choose the “NO” option.

In the ballot paper for the October 20 election, Irina Vlah is under No. 5.