Vlad Filat to Run for President

Former Prime Minister Vlad Filat may become Maia Sandu’s rival in the autumn presidential election. He was nominated as the PLDM candidate for the 20 October election by members of the party’s central executive apparatus, who met on Friday, 31 May. In addition, the Liberal Democrats decided that they would also register in the campaign for a constitutional referendum on EU accession, but they did not specify which message they would promote. However, earlier in a video podcast, Vlad Filat said that he and his party would urge citizens to vote in favor in the plebiscite in order to avoid huge risks related to the possible failure of the referendum. Vlad Filat was Prime Minister of Moldova from September 2009 to April 2013 and headed two governments that included several current PAS leaders: Maia Sandu, Dorin Recean and Igor Grosu. After PAS came to power, but especially in the last period, he became a fierce critic of the current government and President Maia Sandu, whom he accuses of incompetence and gross violation of democratic norms and principles, due to which the European idea is compromised. Although at the previous presidential election Vlad Filat urged people to vote for Maia Sandu, this time he will no longer support her, as he believes that she did not fulfil expectations and does not deserve a new mandate.