The Newsletter is based on the radio programme broadcast on August 10 th , 2016, produced by the Foreign Policy Association of Moldova in partnership with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung(FES). The programme is broadcast on the Radio Moldova public channel. The programme is part of the FES/APE“European Integration and Foreign Policy Dialogues” Project. The content can be reproduced by mentioning the source. NEWSLETTER MONTHLY BULLETIN NOVEMBER 2016 NR.9(127) Synthesis and Foreign Policy Debates The materials are realized by Lina Grau, foreign policy expert and programme coordinator with APE. TOPICS OF THE EDITION: 1. The Republic of Moldova after the first round of presidential elections. The first statements of Igor Dodon and Maia Sandu, and the reactions of the electoral competitors excluded from the presidential race. 2. Experts’ opinions about the first round of presidential elections: Arcadie Barbaroșie, Victor Chirilă, Pavel Postică, Nadine Gogu, Sorin Ioniță 3. Andi Cristea: The west should remain Moldova’s soul project The last period was marked by several important events for Moldova. The observer mission of OSCE and other organizations that have monitored the first round of presidential elections from October 30 th concluded that, in general, the elections complied with the criteria of free and fair elections, despite the criticism as to the use of administrative resources, biased coverage of the election campaign in the media, lack of transparency in the financing of candidates and the atmosphere of the electoral campaign. The Romanian President, Klaus Johannis, expressed hope that the second round of presidential elections in Moldova will take place“in compliance with the European standards for the conduct of elections- fairness and transparency”. The Romanian leader did not mention any explicit support for any of the two remaining candidates in the race, but his message says that Moldova should continue“the process of reforms in the European spirit”. However, the ex­Romanian President, Traian Basescu, expressed explicit support for the pro­European candidate, Maia Sandu. While several Romanian politicians welcomed the entry of Maia Sandu in the presidential runoff, the Moscow officials emphasised that the good score of Igor Dodon shows how big the potential of Eurasian integration in Moldova is. The Ukrainian Ambassador to Moldova, Ivan Gnatişin, was called to Kiev for consultations, according to Realitatea TV. The reasons were not announced, but according to Interfax.ua, this happened in the context of the results of the presidential elections, according to which the candidate Igor Dodon obtained more than 48% of the votes. The press agency is reminding that during the electoral debates, Igor Dodon said Crimea belongs to Russia, a fact which worries the Ukrainian authorities. The Republic of Moldova after the first round of presidential elections For the first time in the last 20 years, the Moldovans have been called to the ballot boxes to elect the president. The elections held Sunday, October 30 th , have ended with a turnout of just 48.95 percent, propelling in the runoff the Socialist Party leader, Igor Dodon, with 47.98 percent, and the chairwoman of the Action and Solidarity Party(PAS), Maia Sandu, who was voted by 38.71 percent of voters. The socialists’ leader Igor Dodon, missed more than two percent to win the first round, obtaining a high score that was not predicted by the public opinion polls. On the other hand, the observers have noticed a strong mobilization of Monthly Bulletin, Nr. 9(127), November 2016 64, Sciusev str. MD-2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, Tel-Fax:+373 22 21 09 86 Website: www.ape.md E-mail: office@ape.md