Cristian Istrati

Biography

Cristian Istrati was born on 14 September 1986 in Chișinău, into a family of engineers. After graduating from Moldova State University, he worked as a reporter, then as a parliamentary correspondent, and since 2015 he has been a political commentator and host of a podcast dedicated to local public administration — one of the few media formats in the country that systematically covers the life of local councils.

### Education

- (2004–2008) — Moldova State University, Faculty of Journalism and Communication Sciences, specialty: journalism

### Professional experience

- (2008–2011) — reporter, news agency, Chișinău
- (2011–2015) — parliamentary correspondent, Chișinău
- since 2015 — political commentator and podcast host on local public administration

He is married and, together with his wife, is raising a son.

### Key facts

- Year of birth: 1986
- Place of birth: Chișinău
- Profession: journalist
- Current position: political commentator and podcast host
- Education: Moldova State University, journalism

Views and principles

I have decided to run for the Chișinău Municipal Council because, after eighteen years in journalism, I am tired of describing problems — I want to solve them.

I am a Chișinău native. I started as a reporter at a news agency, spent four years as a parliamentary correspondent, and since 2015 I have been a political commentator and the host of a podcast about local public administration. I have sat through dozens of local council meetings across the country and seen how decisions are made — and how they are hidden.

I see the same problems everywhere: opaque local budgets in which no one can trace a single leu; town halls that refuse to release public information although the law obliges them; local journalists harassed for asking uncomfortable questions. Corruption grows where the light does not reach.

If you elect me, I will fight for concrete things: full transparency of the municipal budget — every expense published online; real access to public information, with sanctions for officials who block it; protection for journalists and whistleblowers. A clean city starts with a transparent council.

This candidacy is not about office — it is about responsibility.

Career analysis

Cristian Istrati's career confirms, step by step, the qualities a voters' representative needs.

As a reporter he learned to check facts: one document, two sources, no claim without evidence. That discipline is rare in politics — and it is exactly what a council that too often votes "by ear" is missing.

Four years as a parliamentary correspondent: he watched up close how laws are made and how deals are struck behind the scenes. He knows the mechanics of power from the inside, not from books — a real advantage for a municipal councillor.

Since 2015 he has been systematically studying local administration: dozens of councils, hundreds of meetings across the country. Few candidates know as well how a town hall works — and how it gets stuck.

Finally, journalism taught him independence: he has never served a party or a sponsor. A councillor who owes nothing to anyone can vote only by conscience — and that is the rarest quality in politics.