[13] On 4 November 2011, Igor Dodon announced that he would quit the Party of Communists along with MPs Zinaida Greceanii and Veronica Abramciuc.

[17] Following two failed rounds to elect a president, the AEI had two candidates: Veronica Bacalu, the former deputy governor of the National Bank of Moldova, who was working at the World Bank and was nominated by the Liberal Democrat Party; and Ion Ababii, the former Minister of Health who was nominated by the Democratic Party.

He said that he would maintain "strategic ties" with the United States, Russia and Germany, as well as worth towards settling the dispute of Transnistria; and he added that "Moldova must become a bridge between East and West from which it can only win.

According to Article 80 of the constitution: "The President of Moldova takes office on the oath-taking day and his term has a duration of 4 years."

At the same time, an electoral law revision was passed that asserted an election will only be held if there are any candidates and only if at least 61 MPs are present at the vote.

[21][22] However, Lupu announced he would not run in the election, and stated that the governing parties were prepared to nominate a compromise candidate.

[25] Onoje's campaign was so well publicised that the PSRM's Victor Șelin proposed revoking his Moldovan citizenship on this basis.

[27][28] On 11 January, Oazu Nantoi told the press that he would run as a candidate and that he had discussed this prospect with Vlad Filat and other leaders of the Alliance for European Integration: "Their reaction was moderately positive.

The same day, the PCRM had proposed the former chairman of the National Bank of Moldova Leonid Tălmaci as a compromise candidate.

[30] On 12 January, the Constitutional Court of Moldova annulled the inconclusive December election because some members of parliament violated the law by showing how they marked their ballots on television.

On 15 January, the leaders of AEI made a joint statement announcing that a constitutional referendum would be held in April.

[38] Following meetings between the Alliance for European Integration and the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova, another election attempt was set for 16 March[4] after parliament affirmed the date 9 days earlier, though PCRM boycotted the vote on the premise that the incumbent parliament is illegitimate, amidst their demand it be dissolved.

[41] Upon being elected, Timofti called for the removal of all Russian peacekeeping troops from Transnistria and said that he advocates a peaceful solution to the Transnistria conflict through negotiations with the 5+2 format (Russia, Ukraine, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the European Union and the U.S.[44] He also called for reforms and upholding the "rule of law"[45] adding that in his role as president and thus "guarantor of the constitution" he would "supervise how the principle of separation of powers in the state is observed as this is a fundamental, democratic principle without which we cannot speak about veritable rule of law.

[47] The AEI also expressed regret over the PCRM's boycott with PM Vlad Filat saying the coalition has sought to "establish a civilised dialogue with the opposition Communists, but they refused to contribute to the efforts of the government.

"[48] However, PCRM MP Sergiu Sîrbu said the boycott will continue and that "something serious should happen for us to return to parliament, like the resignation of the president or of the government."

He also added that a new law that would suspend salaries to those MPs who are absent from sittings of parliament or of parliamentary commissions without reason would not deter the boycott as "it will be a serious blow, but democracy and the fight for justice [would continue].