- Mr. Ciocan, presidential and parliamentary elections will be held in Romania soon. As a representative of the PSD Romania, what actions do you intend to take for the Romanian voters in the Republic of Moldova?

Iurie Ciocan: Indeed, we are today in the middle of the campaign preceding two extremely important elections for Romania – the presidential election, which will take place on November 24, and the parliamentary elections, which will be held a week later, on December 1, 2024.

My goal and the goal of the team I lead here is to mobilize and motivate the Romanian citizens outside Romania's borders to actively vote in the elections and to make their voice heard in Bucharest so that they too feel represented in the administrative bodies of the Romanian state.

At the same time, I want our people to find out from the first source what the PSD represents, what its country program is and how the most important party in Romania intends to do so that the Romanians, no matter where they are, feel protected, helped and proud of Romania.

- Let's talk a little about the presidential election. The PSD’s candidate for the most important position in the Romanian state is Mr. Marcel Ciolacu, the leader of the ruling party and the Prime Minister of Romania. What is his offer for the Romanian citizens?



Iurie Ciocan: I will start by noting that the PSD has presented a broad country program, extremely well structured and very ambitious, which it intends to implement during the next parliamentary and presidential term. This plan sets out a number of key priorities – economic development, reindustrialization, social protection, and transformation of Romania into a strong, developed and internationally influential country.

This plan is already underway and started to be implemented with the taking over of the leadership of the Government by Marcel Ciolacu, and today we can see with the naked eye the huge leap that Romania has made to achieve these objectives.

Today, Romania sees steady economic growth. Salaries, pensions and social allowances have increased. Social institutions are being repaired and built – schools, kindergartens, regional hospitals, such as the one in Iasi, whose construction was recently started.

Furthermore, giant infrastructure projects are being implemented, such as the construction of highways and expressways, modernization of the railway infrastructure, development of air transport, through the construction of new airports and attraction of large investments to this sector, etc.

Romania has meanwhile become energy independent and has become today one of the largest producers of hydrocarbons in Europe, especially natural gas. In addition, small modular nuclear power plants will be built for the production of cheap and environmentally friendly electricity, which will ensure not only domestic consumption, but also the export of electricity.  

Beyond that, Romania becomes a security hub and a guarantor of stability and peace in the region.

- To what extent do all these successes concern the citizens of the Republic of Moldova, with or without Romanian citizenship?  

Iurie Ciocan: The Republic of Moldova has to gain concretely and directly from Romania's successes. For example, today, Romania, under the leadership of the PSD-PNL Government and Prime Minister Ciolacu, satisfies almost fully the natural gas needs for the internal consumption of the Republic of Moldova and, at the same time, is an important supplier of electricity for the left bank of the Prut.

I also want to note that the PSD and Marcel Ciolacu personally devote special attention to the Republic of Moldova and in their program have special points that refer to projects and programs that directly concern the Republic of Moldova.

Among them is the intention to build a highway from Ungheni to Chisinau, as a continuation of the A8 highway (Târgu Mureș-Iasi-Ungheni), also known as the Union Highway. The construction of European gauge railway lines in the Republic of Moldova is planned. This will facilitate and develop rail transport both to Romania and to other European countries. There is a whole series of energy interconnection projects of strategic importance. There is close cooperation in the economic, security, defense sectors.

Not everyone in Romania knows, but Romania is one of the main fbackers of the "European Village" program, implemented by the Government in Chisinau, which involves the modernization of our rural localities.

Romania invests in the education of our children by modernizing and equipping educational institutions. It donated dozens of school buses for our children so that they can be transported to school and back safely. And there are many such projects, very concrete, very practical and very necessary.

This is why, my appeal to the Romanian citizens in the Republic of Moldova, but also to those abroad, is to stand by Mr. Marcel Ciolacu and support him in the elections because his victory will also be our victory.

- You are also running in the next elections, also on the PSD’s list, specifically in the elections for the Chamber of Deputies because the Romanian Parliament is bicameral, which is, it consists of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. What made you take this step and what will be your priorities, in short, if you are elected as an MP?

Iurie Ciocan: As I have previously announced, I will run in the parliamentary elections in Romania on behalf of the PSD, in the 43rd constituency that covers the diaspora, including the Republic of Moldova. It is a calculated step that I assumed with all responsibility, and the fact that the PSD and Marcel Ciolacu personally put their trust in me motivates me even more.



My goal is to ensure that the voice of the Romanians in the Republic of Moldova and in the diaspora is heard in Romania’s Parliament. I want the people here to have a representative of theirs there, whom they know and can turn to when they need it.

I know the problems of the people here. I am a local man, who knows much better how and what to do. I want the Romanians in the Republic of Moldova and the diaspora to know their MP and to know that they have someone in the Parliament in Bucharest, who speaks on their behalf and defends their interests.

I would like to emphasize the fact that I am not going to leave the Republic of Moldova after I become a deputy, but I will continue to live here and communicate directly with the people here and later I will come up with concrete proposals and solutions and promote them in Romania’s Parliament.

Even though I did not have this quality, I managed to convince my colleagues in Romania to include in the government program a point that refers to the support for the Nistru war veterans, regardless of whether they have Romanian citizenship or not. It provides that they, our veterans, will benefit, from the Romanian state, from medical assistance and recuperative care in specialized institutions in Romania, as do the veterans in Romania. It is an important step, I say, which matters a lot for our heroes, who risked their lives in the war for the Independence of the Republic of Moldova.

I also intend to promote other initiatives to support the Romanians in the Republic of Moldova, such as debureaucratization of the process of regaining Romanian citizenship, the right to purchase medical insurance in Romania, the right to ensure a pension period in Romania and many others.

There are a lot of problems that must and can be solved, and this will be my role. This is why my message to the voters here is to elect one of our Moldovans in Romania’s Parliament.

- How are you going to convince the Romanian citizens in the diaspora to vote for you, because the constituency you are running for includes them?

Iurie Ciocan: First of all, I would like to emphasize that the absolute majority of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova, who currently live abroad, also hold Romanian citizenship. And the number of those who make up our diaspora abroad today is very large. Therefore, they will have an important say if they mobilize and actively participate in the elections in Romania.

In the last presidential election, which was recently held in the Republic of Moldova, more than 320,000 of our citizens abroad participated. Or, as I said, 90 percent of them are also Romanian citizens. It is a huge force, which can decisively influence both the presidential and the parliamentary elections. It is very important to treat the elections in Romania in the same way as they treated those in the Republic of Moldova, because the direction in which Romania will move forward will depend on them.

In order not to be misinterpreted, I want to note that the fact that I pay special attention to the citizens of the Republic of Moldova with dual citizenship does not mean that only their fate bothers me. No, my goal is to represent with dignity and determination all the Romanians who are abroad and it doesn't matter if they were born in Chisinau, Balti, Iasi, Galati, Cluj, Timisoara or elsewhere.

Romania is a large and powerful state that takes care of all its citizens, no matter where they are. We can see, for example, the reaction of the Government in Bucharest and of Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu to the tragedy caused by the recent floods in Spain. A crisis cell was formed, which acted right there, on the spot, to provide help and assistance to the Romanian citizens who suffered. And no distinction was made between those with dual or single citizenship. They are all citizens of Romania and all can enjoy the protection of the Romanian state.

That is why my appeal to our Moldovans is to become aware of the great advantage that the affiliation to the Romanian state offers us and to actively participate in the socio-political life in Romania. Therefore, I call on them to get involved in these elections, to inform themselves correctly and to vote consciously, maturely and responsibly. And a fair choice means delegating those who really represent them to work in Romania’s Parliament, but also at the Cotroceni Palace.

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