Political career

Dorin Chirtoacă has been the vice-president of the Liberal Party of Moldova (PL) since May 2005. Due to low turnout, the 2005 Chișinău election was invalidated, but he became the Mayor of Chişinău in 2007. He defeated his Communist Party (PCRM) opponent Veaceslav Iordan in the 2007 municipal elections, which resulted in a clear victory for a loose anti-communist coalition in the city of Chișinău (61.17%).^[6] He was considered to be the most important opponent of the communists in the April 2009 election and July 2009 election.

Chirtoacă won reelection as mayor of Chișinău in June 2011, narrowly defeating the candidate from the Communist Party of the Republic of Moldova, Igor Dodon.^[7] He received 50.6% of the votes to Dodon's 49.4%.

For the June 2015 Chișinău mayoral election, Chirtoacă registered on the last day.^[8] In the first tour, Chirtoacă received 37.52%, to Zinaida Greceanîi's (from PSRM) 35.68%. The two participated on 28 June 2015 in the second tour, Chirtoacă receiving 53.54% of votes and winning his third consecutive mandate of mayor of Chișinău.

On 13 September 2016, an attempt to organize a referendum to dismiss Chirtoacă from the post of mayor of Chișinău failed in the Chișinău municipal Council.^[9]

On 25 May 2017, Chirtoacă was arrested by anti-corruption prosecutors and National Anti-Corruption Center (CNA) officers,^[10] together with seven other employees of the Chișinău mayoralty, in the file of paid parking, being suspected of the traffic of influence. On 26 May, he was placed under home arrest for 30 days.^[11] On 22 June, his home arrest warrant was prolonged for 25 days,^[12] and then on 14 July for another 25 days.^[13]

On 28 July 2017, Chirtoacă was suspended from the office of the mayor of Chișinău until a final sentence in his case was issued, on the basis of a decision of Buiucani sector of Chișinău Court.^[14] His home arrest warrant was prolonged again with 30 days on 10 August,^[15] and then again on 11 September 2017.^[16] On 12 September 2017, the Chișinău municipal Council decided that on 19 November 2017 a referendum for Chirtoacă's dismissal would be held.^[17]

According to the polls made in 2019 concerning the most appreciated Moldovan politicians, Dorin Chirtoacă is positioned eleventh among the top of politicians which Moldovans have the highest trust^[18] and in another opinion poll it was positioned on the thirteenth position.^[19]

In 2020, Chirtoacă and four other Moldovan politicians founded Mișcarea Politică Unirea, a political party established for the unification of Moldova and Romania.^[20][21] He was later designated as the candidate of the party for the 2020 Moldovan presidential election.^{[22][23][24][25][26]}