The electoral campaign has begun in the Transnistrian region for the election of the future leader of the unrecognized region. The vote will take place on December 13th. The current leader, Vadim Krasnoselski, is finishing his second term and cannot run again, which means that the region will have a new leader. However, a real competition between candidates is not foreseen. Journalists from newsmaker.md explained in an analysis why all electoral roads on the left bank of the Dniester lead to “Sheriff” and who could lead the Transnistrian region after Krasnoselski.
The main candidate
This week, the electoral campaign has begun in the Transnistrian region. Candidates can register until November 12. To participate in the election, they must be citizens of Transnistria, live on the left bank of the Dniester for at least 10 years, and be at least 35 years old. Also, each potential candidate must gather the signatures of at least 2%, but no more than 3% of voters, which is about 7,000 people. Candidates can start their electoral campaign after registration.
The main favorite of the race could be Deputy Prime Minister Vitali Neagu. Discussions about his possible participation in the elections emerged in January of this year, when he was appointed deputy prime minister. Previously, Neagu had led the local Ministry of Interior for 5 years, served as a judge of the Supreme Court of the unrecognized RMN, and headed the local Customs Committee. Between 2008 and 2012, he worked as a consultant within the legal department of the “Sheriff” holding, which in fact controls power in the unrecognized region.
On September 13, a channel appeared on Telegram allegedly belonging to Vitali Neagu. There, it was communicated about the separatist official’s participation in the elections, and the Russian press quickly picked up the subject. Subsequently, the separatist authorities published denials.
Who else can participate in the race
In addition to Neagu, the alleged head of diplomacy from Tiraspol, Vitali Ignatiev, was also mentioned among the potential candidates.
Is a protest vote possible?
In the absence of an alternative, voters from the Transnistrian region can express their protest, for example, by spoiling the ballot. However, it is unlikely that data about such cases will be made public.
Another form of protest is the boycotting of elections. From a political point of view, this can affect the legitimacy of power, but not the conduct of the vote, because in the unrecognized region there is no minimum participation threshold. In the 2025 elections for the local parliament, the Supreme Soviet, the voter turnout barely exceeded 26%, being the lowest in the history of Transnistria. However, in presidential elections, the participation rate is traditionally higher.
Connection with Sheriff
Vadim Krasnoselski won the 2021 elections in the first round, securing almost 80% of the votes. He also triumphed in the first round in 2016, with 62% of the votes. In both elections, Krasnoselski was, in fact, the candidate backed by the “Sheriff” holding.
His predecessor, Evgheni Shevchuk, defeated Igor Smirnov in the 2011 elections, who had been continuously leading Transnistria since 1990. Shevchuk had, in fact, worked for two years as the deputy director of “Sheriff”, but the holding supported another candidate in that election. He won in the second round, obtaining almost 74% of the votes.
It is noteworthy that Shevchuk and Krasnoselski were active in the structures of the so-called Ministry of Internal Affairs in Tiraspol. Krasnoselski led the institution for five years and holds the rank of Major General of the Militia. The current race favorite, Vitali Neagu, has the same career path. He recently led the alleged Ministry of Internal Affairs and previously worked in the “Sheriff” structures.