The Party of Socialists and some of the extraparliamentary parties aim to identify a common candidate for the position of president of the Republic of Moldova. The joint candidate must be an apolitical character with proper training, said by Deputy Speaker of Parliament Vlad Batrîncea. According to him, PSRM, MAN and other political parties decided to unite forces and make a common front at this autumn’s presidential election, IPN reports.
The Socialist heavyweight admitted that PSRM will most probably not have its own candidate in the presidential election, but will support, together with other parties, a common candidate. According to Batrîncea, PSRM, MAN and other parties with chances to enter the next Parliament are participating in discussions to identify a common candidate.
“We are discussing the possibility of having a joint candidate. It is not easy to identify a candidate because each party has its own agenda, interests. We proposed fielding a common candidate. We consider this is appropriate, pertinent. There is this scenario when we can unite around one candidate or possibly around two candidates, depending on particular agreements. We understand very well that forces need to be combined. Maia Sandu will extensively use the administrative resource and foreign resources. Several extraparliamentary parties are taking part in these discussions. These are parties that enjoy support. I’m talking about those who have chances to enter Parliament next year because in a year we will already have parliamentary elections,” Vlad Batrîncea stated in the program “Resumé” on RliveTV channel.
He noted that the person who will be proposed as a joint presidential candidate will not have political affiliation. An official announcement in this regard is to be made between February and March.
“The joint candidate cannot represent a single political party because, in such a case, this would be no longer a joint candidate, but the candidate of a party supported by other parties. The candidate must be apolitical and must be above party interests. This must be highly-trained and defend the rule of law, justice, free and fair elections, freedom of the press. It’s not an easy process. Obviously, Igor Dodon is one of the potential candidates. I don’t think this is a surprise for anyone. But when I say a common candidate, I refer to a candidate who is not put forward by a political party. I hope we will have something to communicate to the citizens during February-March,” said the Deputy Speaker.
According to the leaving chairwoman of the Parliament’s legal commission for appointments and immunities Olesea Stamate, the presidential election could take place in October 2024. Also, a national referendum on Moldova’s European integration could be held the same day.
