The former president of Moldova Igor Dodon informed at a press conference on July 8 that he will not run for the presidential election, but will support the candidacy of ex-prosecutor general Alexandr Stoianoglo.
This was reported by the Moldovan publication NewsMarker.
The leader of the Moldovan socialists added that the decision to nominate a non-party candidate in the presidential elections was made by the executive committee of the Party of Socialists (PSRM).
Dodon called Stoianoglo "a candidate with a firm character" and called on all opposition parties to vote for him.
Alexandr Stoianoglo said that he was influenced by the "injustice that is growing in Moldova every day" to go to the elections. Stoianoglo supports Moldovaʼs European integration, but believes that it should remain a neutral country, not a "battlefield and territory of conflict"
Dodon expressed hope that the opposition will be able to nominate a joint candidate against Maia Sandu.
As EADaily reported, the leader of the Moldovan Communist Party Vladimir Voronin (the parliamentary partner of the PSRM) is skeptical that the opposition can agree on a single candidate, as each of the parties has its own political ambitions.
Ambiguous statements of Dodon and rivalry with Sandu
Dodon was noted for his ambiguous statements regarding the war between Ukraine and Russia. He stated that "All parties are guilty of the conflict." When asked who owns Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Kherson regions, the ex-president answered that "the consequences of the peace talks will make it clear where the war will stop."
Igor Dodon and Maia Sandu were rivals in the presidential elections twice. In 2016, Igor Dodon won 52% of the votes in the second round and became the president of Moldova. Maya Sandu scored 4% less.
In January 2018, the Constitutional Court of Moldova temporarily suspended the powers of the President of Moldova Igor Dodon. This happened after Dodon refused to approve the prime ministerʼs re-nominated candidates for the posts of ministers and deputy prime ministers.
In 2020, they met again in the second round, but Sandu managed to get revenge. The former prime minister won almost 58% of the vote. The then president Igor Dodon over 42%.
In May 2022, the Prosecutor Generalʼs Office of Moldova initiated a criminal case against Dodon on suspicion of corruption.
In September 2023, the Supreme Judicial Chamber of Moldova refused to lift Dodonʼs ban on leaving the country.
Moldova is on the way to European integration
On April 16, 2024, the Chisinau Constitutional Court passed a decision that amends the constitution and defines European integration as a strategic goal — the last political step before the referendum.
Both votes, the election and the referendum, are important for Moldova as Russia tries to bring the country back into its sphere of influence. The current president Maia Sandu wants to run for a second term in order to continue the European integration of the country. The Moldovan authorities are preparing that the referendum on the EU will become the object of hybrid attacks from Russia in order to discourage the population from participating in it.