The article forms part of IPN’s series to present candidates for mayor of the municipality of Balti at the general local elections of November 5, 2023.

The Revival Party fielded MP Alexandr Nesterovschi for the post of mayor of the municipality of Balti at the November 5 local election.

Alexandr Nesterovschi was born on January 11, 1981 in Răuțel village of Fălești district. In 2003, he graduated from the former Balti Nistrean Institute of Economy and Law, the Faculty of Law. In 2008, he studied at the Public Administration Academy under the President of the Republic of Moldova. For a year, the candidate worked as a specialist at the Balti Center of Culture and Youth. In 2006 – 2009, he held the post of first secretary of the Komsomolist organization in Balti. For two terms, he sat on the Balti Municipal Council, in 2007-2011 and in 2013-2014. He also headed the Balti branch of the charity foundation “Soluția” in 2012-2014.

Alexandr Nesterovschi sat in Moldova’s Parliament for three times. The last time he entered Parliament in 2021 on the lists of the Bloc of Communists and Socialists. In March 2023, Alexandr Nesterovschi decided to leave the parliamentary group of the Bloc of Communists and Socialists and the Party of Socialists. Since June, he has formed part of the executive committee of the Revival Party.

On September 21, Alexandr Nesterovschi was stripped of parliamentary immunity. The same day he was detained, being accused of illegal financing accepted from an organized criminal group led by Ilan Shor. He is now in remand detention at Penitentiary No. 13.

For January 1, 2022 – December 31, 2022, the candidate declared 197,634 lei salaries from the Party of Socialists and from Moldova’s Parliament and 199,000 lei in allowances from Parliament. He owns an apartment of 44.4 square meters to the value of 400,000 lei purchased in 2022 and a car to the value of 150,000 lei bought in 2018. He also owns 1/2 of S.R.L. “Fama Glamosa” which has the legal address in the candidate’s native village.

Alexandr Nesterovschi’s electoral promises include the transformation of yards in comfortable spaces, building of the largest and most modern recreational park in northern Moldova, rehabilitation of all schools and kindergartens, setting up of a recreational park in each micro-region, reconstruction of the housing stock. The candidate aims to increase the municipal budget by 30% by attracting investments, to offer reasonable subsidies from the municipal budget to socially deprived groups of people, to restore the industrial potential of Balti and to create jobs.

The candidate competed for the mayoralty of Balti also in 2019, being supported by the Party of Socialists. He then gained 16.04% of the vote.

As the draw decided, Alexandr Nesterovschi will be next to No. 8 on the ballot.