At least eight candidates running for President, out of the 11 registered, also hold the citizenship of other states. Mostly, in addition to the citizenship of the Republic of Moldova, the candidates also have Romanian nationality, and one of them holds the citizenship of the Russian Federation, IPN reports.
RFE/RL’s Moldovan Service said that not only Alexandr Stoianoglo, the candidate supported by the party of pro-Russian ex-President Igor Dodon, also holds Romanian citizenship. At least seven other candidates have dual citizenship, even if not all of them declared this to the Central Election Commission.
Incumbent President Maia Sandu, who is contending for a new tenure, is also a citizen of Romania. In previous campaigns, she was the main target of criticism related to the holding of dual citizenship, especially from her opponents, first of all from former President Igor Dodon.
Ex-prosecutor Victoria Furtună, who is running independently, also holds Romanian nationality. For her, this citizenship offers certain rights, but not an “absolute obligation” towards the Romanian state. In a discussion with the Service, Furtună said that she does not see any problem in the holding of multiple citizenship by state officials as long as they represent the state and the citizens of the country in which they were elected.
Octavian Țîcu, the candidate of “Together” bloc, also has dual citizenship. He told RFE/RL’s Moldovan Service that he has a “very good” opinion about dual citizenship, but exclusively in the case of Romanian citizenship. He also said that he cannot compare Romanian citizenship with that of the Russian Federation because, at present, “Russia is considered the main enemy of the Republic of Moldova.”
Former Prime Minister Ion Chicu, presidential candidate on behalf of the Party for Development and Consolidation of Moldova, obtained Romanian citizenship at approximately the same time. Previously, he said that he obtained Romanian citizenship because it offered him many possibilities. Romanian citizenship is also held by independent candidate Andrei Năstase and the Party for the Future of Moldova’s candidate Vasile Tarlev. The candidate of the political party Our Party Renato Usatyi holds also Russian citizenship.
Among those who informed the CEC that they do not hold other citizenships are Irina Vlah, Natalia Morari and Tudor Ulyanovski. The latter explained the Service that he did not obtain Romanian citizenship because, in the past, he traveled mostly with a diplomatic passport. However, his family benefited from child benefit from Romania due to the citizenship held by his wife.
