Moldova's pro-European president Sandu says she will seek second term
By Alexander Tanas
CHISINAU (Reuters) -Moldova's pro-European President Maia Sandu said on Sunday she intended to run for a second presidential term in late 2024 and called on parliament to begin preparations for a referendum on the country's drive to join the European Union.
The country's most prominent opposition figure, Socialist pro-Russian former President Igor Dodon, denounced both her intention to seek re-election and the call for a referendum.
«We still have important steps to take and I pledge to continue, if you will give me your trust for a new term,» Sandu said in a statement published on the presidential website.
She asked the parliament, controlled by her allies in the Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), to start work on a referendum on the European orientation of Moldova, an ex-Soviet state lying between Ukraine and EU member Romania.
«Our future is in the European family and we need to say clearly — the whole country — which path we choose for Moldova. I call on parliament to initiate a referendum next autumn, in which the voice of the citizens will be decisive,» Sandu said.
Sandu has denounced Russia's invasion of Ukraine and accused Moscow of plotting a coup to oust her. The Kremlin says she is fomenting Russophobia.
A former World Bank economist, Sandu has made EU membership the cornerstone of her programme since defeating Dodon in a landslide election in December 2020.
An EU summit earlier this month gave the go-ahead to start membership talks with both Moldova and Ukraine.
Dodon, writing on his Facebook (NASDAQ:META) page, said pro-European policies were no guarantee of victory for Sandu.
«People are not as naive as they were in 2020,» Dodon wrote. «Today they associate Sandu not with progress and
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