“Despite the criticism leveled at me, during my term in office I promoted the principle of independence of the presidential institution. I did my best, in the circumstances in which I worked, to promote the national interests of the Republic of Moldova,” President Nicolae Timofti said in a meeting with a group of European MPs who represent the European People’s Party (EPP). These form part of a European Parliament Observation Omission for the October 30 presidential elections, IPN reports.

According to the presidential press service, the Head of State welcomed the visit by the EPP representatives and thanked them for the support provided by this group in the European Parliament for issues related to the pro-European course of Moldova.

In the meeting, the interlocutors exchanged opinions on the conduct of the election campaign and the role of the mass media in the election process. President Timofti said the Head of State does not have the right, in accordance with the Constitution, to become involved in the campaign. He suggested that some of the candidates for President make statements that are beyond the prerogatives provided by the supreme law.

For their part, the members of the delegation stressed the necessity of ensuring fair elections and reiterated the EPP’s support for the Republic of Moldova. In this connection, the Mission’s head Igor Šoltes underlined the role of the President in the democratic process. The delegation also includes Siegfried Muresan, Heidi Hautala, Fabio Massimo Castaldo and Janusz Korwin-Mikke.

At the end of the meeting, the EPP delegation thanked President Timofti for acting with wisdom and for promoting the pro-European ideas.