IPA CIS International Observers Met With Candidates to President of Republic of Moldova

31 October 2020

IPA CIS International Observers Met With Candidates to President of Republic of Moldova

On 31 October 2020, the IPA CIS international observers met with three candidates to President of the Republic of Moldova: Igor Dodon, Violeta Ivanov and Maia Sandu.

The meetings focused on the specifics of the 2020 election campaign, the programs and features of the candidates’ campaigning, as well as on the problems of application of electoral legislation during the pandemic.

Igor Dodon called the current campaign one of the most active and told the observers about 240 meetings held with the voters. While talking about the specifics of the 2020 elections, he noted that the geopolitical factor in the candidates’ debates dropped significantly. He also noted that due to quarantine measures, he expected a reduced turnout of voters compared to previous election campaigns. In addition, Igor Dodon spoke about his concept of settling the Transnistrian conflict in case of winning the elections.

After the meeting with Igor Dodon, the IPA CIS observers met with Violeta Ivanov. The meeting was held jointly with the leadership of the Sor party, which nominated Violeta Ivanov as a presidential candidate. During the meeting, the observers were informed about Violeta Ivanov's assessment of the administration of elections and coverage of the electoral campaign in media, as well as about the main provisions of the electoral program.

During the meeting with the IPA CIS observers, Maia Sandu expressed her opinion on the importance of the elections for the development of democratic institutions in the Republic of Moldova, shared her views on the economic and social development of the country and assessed the electoral campaign.

Team Coordinator, Deputy Speaker of the Milli Mejlis of the Azerbaijan Republic Adil Aliyev informed the candidates that the work of the observers was based on the principles of political neutrality, impartiality, refusal to express any preferences.

Secretary General – Head of the IPA CIS Council Secretariat Dmitry Kobitskiy stressed that the observer team members based their conclusions on observations and facts.