Government & politics — Moldova

• history: previous 1978; latest adopted 29 July 1994,
• effective 27 August 1994 amendments: proposed by voter petition (at least 200,000 eligible voters), by at least one third of Parliament members, or by the government; passage requires two-thirds majority vote of Parliament within one year of initial proposal; revisions to constitutional articles on sovereignty, independence, and neutrality require majority vote by referendum; articles on fundamental rights and freedoms cannot be amended; amended many times, last in 2018

• chief of state: Pre
• Prime Minister Dorin RECEAN (since 16 February 2023) cabinet: Cabinet proposed by the prime minister-designate, nominated by the president, approved thro
• ugh a vote of confidence in Parliament elections/appointments: president directly elected for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 15 November 2020 (next to be held in fall 2024); prime minister designated by the president upon consultation with Parliament; within 15 days from designation, the prime minister-designate must request a vote of confidence for his/h
• er proposed work program from the Parliament election results: 2020: Maia SANDU elected president in second round; percent of vote in second round - Maia SANDU (PAS) 57.7%, Igor DODON (PSRM) 42.3% 2016: Igor DODON elected president in second round; percent of vote - Igor DODON (PSRM) 52.1%, Maia SANDU (PAS) 47.9%

Description

unicameral Parliament (101 seats; 51 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 50 members directly elected in a single, nationwide constituency by closed party-list proportional representation vote; all members serve 4-year terms

Elections

last held on 11 July 2021 (next scheduled in July 2025)

Election Results

• 2021: percent of vote by party - PAS 52.8%, BECS (PSRM+PCRM) 27.1%, SOR 5.7%
• seats by party - PAS 63, BECS 32, SOR 6
• composition as of April 2023 - men 62, women 39, percent of women 38.6%

• highest court(s): Supreme Court of Justice (consists of the chief judge, 3 deputy-chief judges, 45 judges, and 7 assistant judges); Constitutional Court (consists of the court president and 6 judges); note - the Constitutional Court is autonomous to the other branches of government; the Court interprets the Constitution and reviews the constitutionality of parliamentary laws and decisions, decrees of the president,
• and acts of the government judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court of Justice judges appointed by the president upon the recommendation of the Superior Council of Magistracy, an 11-member body of judicial officials; all judges serve 4-year renewable terms; Constitutional Court judges appointed 2 each by Parliament, the president, and the Higher Council of Magistracy for 6-year terms; court president elect
• ed by other court judges for a 3-year term subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; Court of Business Audit; municipal courts

32 raions (raioane, singular - raion), 3 municipalities (municipii, singular - municipiul), 1 autonomous territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala autonoma), and 1 territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala) raions: Anenii Noi, Basarabeasca, Briceni, Cahul, Cantemir, Calarasi, Causeni, Cimislia, Criuleni, Donduseni, Drochia, Dubasari, Edinet, Falesti, Floresti, Glodeni, Hincesti, Ialoveni, Leova, Nisporeni, Ocnita, Orhei, Rezina, Riscani, Singerei, Soldanesti, Soroca, Stefan Voda, Straseni, Taraclia, Telenesti, Ungheni municipalities: Balti, Bender, Chisinau autonomous territorial unit: Gagauzia territorial unit: Stinga Nistrului (Transnistria)

• Party of Action and Solidarity or PAS [Igor GROSU]
• Communist Party or PCRM [Vladimir VORONIN]
• Socialist Party or PSRM [Igor DODON]
• SOR Party [llan SHOR]

• no citizenship by descent only: at least one pa
• no residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

BSEC, CD, CE, CEI, CIS, EAEU (observer), EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GCTU, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

chief of mission

Ambassador Kent D. LOGSDON (since 16 February 2022) embassy: 103 Mateevici Street, Chisinau MD-2009 mailing address: 7080 Chisinau Place, Washington DC 20521-7080

telephone

[373] (22) 408-300

FAX

[373] (22) 233-044

Email address and website

• ChisinauACS@state.gov
• https://md.usembassy.gov/

chief of mission

Ambassador Viorel URSU (since 12 December 2022)

chancery

2101 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone

[1] (202) 667-1130

FAX

[1] (202) 667-2624

Email address and website

• washington@mfa.gov.md
• https://sua.mfa.gov.md/en