December 27 (SeeNews) - Moldovan president Maia Sandu said she will seek a second term in office next year, aiming to bring the country closer to the European Union, and will ask parliament to call a referendum on membership in the bloc.
"After three years in office, we have managed to maintain peace at home, strengthen the country's independence, have a government that is close to the people, and open negotiations on Moldova's accession to the European Union. Our future is in the European family, and it is necessary to say clearly - the whole country - what path we choose for Moldova," Sandu said in a social media post on December 24.
Moldova is due to hold presidential elections in the autumn of 2024.
Earlier in December, the European Council said that it has decided to open accession negotiations with Moldova.
Moldova applied for EU membership in March 2022, shortly after Russia launched an invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, and was granted candidate country status in June the same year.
The first female president of Moldova, Sandu assumed office on December 24, 2020. She is the founder of the Party for Action and Solidarity (PAS), which currently holds 63 seats out of 101 in the parliament. She has previously served as minister of education and as prime minister.