Moldova has started the election campaign for the presidential elections on November 1. Last week, 13 initiative groups were registered to collect signatures in support of candidates, meaning that Moldova could have a maximum of 13 candidates in 2020.

The fastest groups in collecting the signatures of support and submitting the lists to the Central Electoral Commission(CEC) were the initiative groups of the leader of Partidul Nostru (Our Party), Renato Usatîi, and of the leader of Platform Demnitate și Adevăr (Dignity and Truth), Andrei Năstase.

Under legal measures, the electoral campaigning will start on October 2. Until then, each candidate must resign and publish a declaration of assets for the last two years.

ZdG analyzed the declarations submitted by the first two candidates at the Central Electoral Commission.

The candidate of Partidul Nostru in the presidential elections owns 18 lands, valuing up to EUR449,000. He indicated ten real estates, worth up to EUR153,000. Renato Usatîi also declares three Breguet watches, with a total value of €250,000.

Since the beginning of November 2019, with the validation of his mandate as mayor of Bălți district, northern Moldova, Renato Usatîi obtained a salary of over EUR1,000, a moderate wage for his luxurious assets.

Andrei Năstase declares 11 houses, including apartments, two cars, and an income of about €6,700 from the salaries as a former Minister of Internal Affairs. His wife reports earnings of over €170,000 in Germany. The candidate also declared seven donated lands. 

 ZdG will investigate the next candidates’ declarations of assets after the Central Electoral Commission registers them.