Even though there is talk in the public space about the possible number of candidates for the office of President of the Republic of Moldova, the procedures and criteria are not simple to meet.
According to the provisions of the Electoral Code, to be registered by the CEC, all candidates for the office of President of the Republic of Moldova must submit subscription lists containing the signatures of at least 15,000 and no more than 25,000 voters from at least half of the number of second level administrative-territorial units of the Republic of Moldova. The second-level administrative-territorial units of the Republic of Moldova in which not less than 600 signatures have been collected shall be deemed to comply with this provision. This provision is contested by several analysts, who consider it abusive, given the high number of signatures required, bani.md reports.
The date for the presidential elections is set no later than 30 days before the end of the incumbent president’s term of office. If the office of President is vacant, the date of the elections is set within two months of the day the vacancy occurred.
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The candidate for President must be at least 40 years old, have lived in the Republic of Moldova for at least 10 years, and speak the Romanian language. The President’s term of office lasts four years and can be extended in the event of war or disaster, but no person may hold office for more than two consecutive terms.
This year’s presidential elections will be held in the autumn, but the exact date has not yet been set.
So far, Maia Sandu has announced her candidacy for president, and “Our Party” leader Renato Usatii and “PDCM” leader Ion Chicu have publicly declared that they will have its candidate. Indirectly, Usatii suggested that Tudor Ulianovschi, the former foreign minister, and Irina Vlah, the former Bashkan of Gagauzia, might run.
At the same time, if we assess the capacity of parties in Moldova, the following parties will be able to collect signatures and nominate candidates: PAS, PSRM, PSDE, Ilan Shor’s affiliated parties, MAN, as well as possible electoral blocs, such as the Political and Electoral Bloc, made up of the European People’s Party of Moldova, the League of Towns and Municipalities and the Party of Change and the Coalition for Unity and Welfare.
For the first time in 16 years, presidential elections in the Republic were held on 30 October 2016. From 1994 to 2000, the head of state was elected by direct vote of the citizens, and since 2000, the Constitution has been amended so that this power was given to the Parliament.