Next year’s parliamentary elections are the real stake of the multitude of candidates who decide to launch election campaigns and contend in the presidential election, said the executive director of the Association of Independent Press (API) Petru Macovei, who commented on Natalia Morari’s announcement to run in the October 20 election. For his part, PAS MP Oazu Nantoi said that the stakes of the referendum and the autumn election are extremely high and a success of the two electoral exercises will improve the chances of the pro-European parties in the 2025 parliamentary elections, IPN reports.

The PAS MP noted that Russia banks on a number of candidates in this autumn’s presidential election. The Kremlin’s aggressiveness towards Chisinau is increasing as Vladimir Putin sees that he is losing control over the Republic of Moldova.

“Let’s not forget that the situation on the front line is dramatic. The war has become one of attrition, Ukrainian society has got tired, foreign assistance is being procrastinated. Every day of delay has been paid for with the lives of Ukrainians. Why has Putin become more aggressive towards the Republic of Moldova? Because he got bogged down in Ukraine and the chaos behind Ukraine suits him. Two. Now the Europeans say that they are taking the Republic of Moldova together with the Transnistrian region. This means that the Transnistrian region will disappear as an element of blackmail by Russia. If we manage to pass the referendum successfully, through presidential elections, this will change the atmosphere ahead of the parliamentary elections as well. But this does not mean that the PAS will take 99 seats. God forbid. That’s why Putin has become aggressive. Because they risk losing the Republic of Moldova definitively,” Oazu Nantoi stated in the program “The Shadow Cabinet” on JurnalTV.

Historian Octavian Țîcu said he fears a possible failure of the pro-European parties in the 2025 parliamentary elections was expressed by. According to Țîcu, there is a risk that there will not be a genuine pro-European majority in Parliament after the 2025 elections.

“Imagine what it would look like for Putin’s propaganda machine if next year’s elections will be won by pro-Putin parties that will be able to form a majority in Parliament. We can win in the referendum and we can also re-elect Maia Sandu as President. That will not help us at all. The big stake is the plethora of disguised or openly oligarchic Putinist parties that want to control the Republic of Moldova. The big problem of the European Union is that it has put all the stakes on Maia Sandu and the PAS. And this is a big problem because the PAS will not gain a majority of votes in next year’s elections to create a pro-European majority. If the Europeans come to Chisinau, they must have a dialogue with all the parties. The Commissioner for Enlargement comes and says that all the parties need to unite, but he meets with only one party, the ruling one,” stated Octavian Țîcu.

According to the API executive director Petru Macovei, the left-wing candidates for the position of President, who have expressed their intention to run, could withdraw in favor of a common candidate towards the end of the election campaign.

“There are rumors about the launch by Veaceslav Platon of a campaign through the agency of our former colleague and there is a lot of reasoning here. It is clear that what is being done is directed from the shadows by him. A large number of candidates means a large number of voices that say the same thing and at moment X, they will say that the country’s interest prevails and will withdraw. It is a manipulation technique that, as some mates say, they would try to use in this campaign. In addition, it is clear to everyone that next year’s parliamentary elections are the real stake,” stated Petru Macovei.

On Thursday, former journalist Natalia Morari announced that she will run in this autumn’s presidential election. Also, Maia Sandu, Alexandr Stoianoglo, Ion Chicu, Irina Vlah, Tudor Ulianovschi, Renato Usatyi, Vlad Filat, and Andrei Năstase have publicly announced that they will run for President.