The Problems of the Development of the Educational System Reflected in the Electoral Platforms of the Candidates for the Position of President of the Republic of Moldova (the Ballot from October-November 2024)

Relevance. In October - November 2024, were held presidential elections in the Republic of Moldova. 11 candidates entered the electoral race. Each of the 11 candidates presented to the electorate their electoral program in which they expressed their views on the important issues of contemporary Moldovan society, including the development of the education system in the Republic of Moldova. The purpose of the research is to examine the opinions of the candidates for the position of President of the Republic of Moldova regarding the development of education and research.Results. The electoral competition was characterized by the absence of extensive electoral debates, with candidates focusing more on criticizing the government than on presenting their own visions and offering reliable solutions to existing problems and challenges. The candidates' electoral platforms were not related to the constitutional attributions of the President of the Republic of Moldova and abounded in populist promises.Conclusions. In general, the electoral platforms of the candidates running for the position of President of the Republic of Moldova did not take into account, with some minor exceptions, the constitutional provisions regarding the powers of the President. The contents of the platforms, slogans, and electoral declarations clearly aimed to promote the candidate's image and attract as many voters as possible. Candidates in their electoral platforms and messages, at meetings with voters and in televised debates also took into account the accumulation of political advantages for the 2025 parliamentary elections.The contents of the candidates' messages were declarative in nature and did not offer viable, reasoned and feasible solutions to the problems existing in Moldovan society.