Maia Sandu, who is running for a second term, confirmed that her debate with the former Prosecutor General, a native of Gagauzia, Alexander Stoianoglo, before the second round of the presidential elections will be held on October 27.
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The day before, at a briefing, Sandu proposed Stoianoglo to hold a debate to discuss the future of the country and the future path of Moldova. At the same time, Stoyanoglo himself made the same proposal to his opponent. Before the first round of elections, Sandu did not participate in the debates. The Socialist Party, which supports Stoianoglo, said on Tuesday that the debate could take place on October 27.
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“Yesterday I called on my opponent to hold a debate, my team discussed it with his team. We suggested going on national television – it was rejected, then they rejected the format of the debate. We proposed to hold it this Thursday, they suggested next week, we reached compromise, the debate will be this Sunday,” Sandu said in a video message posted on her Facebook page.
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The first round of presidential elections in Moldova took place on October 20. Based on the results of processing 100% of the protocols, Sandu gains 42.45% of the votes. She is followed by Stoianoglo with 25.98%. Both of these candidates advance to the second round, which is scheduled for November 3.
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Sandu advocates for the EU and orientation towards the West; the opposition accuses her of breaking ties with Russia and betraying national interests.
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Stoianoglo believes that Moldova’s relations with the EU should not harm the traditional partnership with Russia and the CIS as a whole.
