Independent candidate for President Igor Dodon said the citizens of the Republic of Moldova will only suffer if Maia Sandu holds office of President. According to the incumbent President, for the citizens, not the name of the President matters, but what this could do to cope with the faced problems, such as the pandemic, the economic crisis, the drought, etc. “The stake of these elections is who of the two candidates can help the people to easier and with smaller losses overcome these challenges,” noted Igor Dodon, being quoted by IPN.
In a press briefing, Igor Dodon called on the citizens to analyze the things that will happen after the runoff vote, noting it is important to assess the country’s prospects during the next ten days, taking into account everyone’s possibilities to deal with the challenges.
He said that to contain the pandemic, he stopped the closure of district hospitals and started the procedure for doubling the salaries of doctors. “What did the Sandu Government do to prepare the country for the pandemic, besides the “optimization” of hospitals and multiple tender contests that lead to a shortage of medicines when we entered the pandemic?” he asked.
In the social sphere, Igor Dodon said he made sure the pensions and salaries are paid on time even if it was a difficult year. He found financial resources for offering additional financial support to pensioners, healthcare workers and education sector employees and promoted bills that Maia Sandu blocked, like the indexation of pensions two times a year. Igor Dodon promised he will also reduce the retirement age.
Igor Dodon noted there should be a school and a kindergarten in each village, while his opponent closed the schools in over 180 villages. He also said that Maia Sandu will beg money from the Europeans, the West. The country needs loans, but not for consumption, but for infrastructure. He stated he will develop the economy, will build industrial parks, will support the national producers and will not open up the market for foreign concerns that would destroy the national producers.
Igor Dodon said he will not accept the liquidation of small districts and mayor’s offices and will struggle to defend Moldova’s statehood. He pleads for the traditional values, traditional families and will not allow the parades of homosexuals, in which the PAS candidate took part, to be mounted. Russian has always been an international language and it is cynical for Maia Sandu, who removed the Russian language from the school programs when she served as the minister of education, to speak Russian now and to make leaflets in Russian.
He also accused the pro-European challenger of differentiating between the people according to the nationality criterion, noting that as the President, he will be able to further ensure the peace, ethnic coexistence and a constructive dialogue with Transnistria and with Gagauzia.
Igor Dodon said he is ready to debate these and other aspects with Maia Sandu. “Don’t change the bird in the hand for a magpie in the bush,” he stated, addressing the citizens.
Under the Constitution, the President can take part in the sittings of Parliament, can advise Parliament on the main problems of the nation. If the Government cannot be formed or the procedure for adopting laws is blocked during three months, the President, after consulting the parliamentary groups, can dissolve Parliament. In the field of foreign policy, the President holds talks and takes part in talks, signs international treaties in the name of the Republic of Moldova and submits them to Parliament for ratification. The President is the supreme commander of the armed forces. This can declare partial or general mobilization with the Parliament’s consent. Among other duties of the President are to confer awards and military ranks and to grant political asylum and individual pardoning. This can ask the people to pronounce on problems of national interest at a referendum and can suspend Government decisions that run counter to the legislation, until the Constitutional Court passes final judgments.
