Republic of Moldova

Parliament

Political system: Parliamentary system
Structure of parliament: Unicameral
IPU membership: Yes

Election results

Data on parliamentary elections, including the background, candidates, voter turnout, results and the formation of the new legislature. By default the latest election results are displayed. Select a date to view results from previous elections.

Results

About the election: No parties secured a majority in the 101-member Parliament. In first place was the Party of Socialists (PSRM), a pro-Russian party effectively led by President Igor Dodon. PSRM was followed by the ruling Democratic Party of Moldova (PDM, led by Mr. Vlad Plahotniuc, a wealthy tycoon) and a pro-European bloc ACUM (see note 1). Although the newly elected Parliament held its first session on 24 March, the session was adjourned as there was no majority.

On 4 June, PSRM and ACUM, which jointly hold 61 seats, agreed to form a coalition. Former Speaker Andrian Candu (PDM) slammed the deal, stating: “The Russian Federation is trying to force the creation of the pro-Russian government.” PDM appealed to the Constitutional Court, arguing that the two parties had not met the constitutional deadline to form a government. PSRM and ACUM rebutted this, saying the deadline was 9 June – three months after the election results were certified (9 March). On 7 June, the Constitutional Court ruled that the deadline was actually 7 June (90 days after the certification of results) and ordered new elections. PSRM and ACUM criticized the Constitutional Court, saying it was controlled by the PDM leader, Mr. Plahotniuc.

President Dodon (PSRM) refused to sign the dissolution order. Parliament also defied the Court ruling. On 8 June, it elected a coalition government comprising PSRM and ACUM under the premiership of Ms. Maia Sandu, co-chair of ACUM. Parliament also elected Ms. Zinaida Greceanii (PSRM) as its new Speaker. However, the Constitutional Court stated that the Speaker’s election was “unconstitutional”, and that all future decisions of the Parliament would also be invalid. On 9 June, the Court suspended President Dodon and appointed Prime Minister Pavel Filip (PDM) as Acting President. Thousands of people gathered in the capital, Chisinau, in support of Mr. Filip. He dissolved Parliament and ordered new elections to be held on 6 September.

On 14 June, Mr. Filip announced his resignation as Acting President. PSRM and ACUM welcomed his decision. The new Prime Minister, Ms. Sandu, pledged to fight corruption, make the electoral system fairer (see note 2) and get foreign aid flowing.

Note 1:

ACUM (meaning Now) formed in December 2018. It is composed of the Party of Action and Solidarity (led by Ms. Maia Sandu), and the Dignity and Truth Platform Party (DA, led by Mr. Andrei Nastase). DA had been established as an anti-corruption civic movement because, in 2014, some $1 billion (about one eighth of the country’s GDP) disappeared from the Moldovan banking system. DA has claimed that PDM’s President, Vlad Plahotniuc, was involved in what was known as "the theft of the century". During the 2019 election campaign, ACUM pledged to oust PDM from power, accusing Mr. Plahotniuc of corruption and abuse of power.

Note 2:

The 2019 elections were the first to be held under a mixed system. Previously, a Party list system had been used. The mixed voting system was adopted in 2017 with the support of PDM and PSRM. MPs from the Party of Moldovan Communists (PCRM), the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (PLDM) and the Liberal Party (PL) boycotted the vote in protest, arguing that the Venice Commission had recommended not adopting the bill that established the mixed system without a political consensus.

Out of the 101 members, 50 are elected under a list proportional representation system and 51 under a majority system using single-member constituencies (first-past-the-post, FPTP). Of the 51 constituencies, 48 are in Moldova (including two for the breakaway Transnistria region) and three are abroad: one in the Commonwealth of Independent States, one in Europe and one in the United States. If a candidate is elected under both systems, he/she is deemed to have been elected through FPTP only.
Number of parties winning seats: 4
Percentage of parties winning seats: 26.7%
Percentage of seats won by largest party or coalition: 34.7%

Parties or coalitions winning seats

Parties or coalitions winning seats
Political group	Total	Majority	Proportional
Party of Socialists (PSRM)	35	17	18
Democratic Party of Moldova (PDM)	30	17	13
ACUM	26	12	14
Sor Party	7	2	5
Independents	3	3	0

Members elected, by sex

Number of men elected: 75
Number of women elected: 26
Percentage of women elected: 25.7%
Women Directly Elected: 26
Other notes on the elections: In accordance with the 2017 amendments to the electoral law, elections in February 2019 were held under the mixed system, under which 51 members were elected under the first-past-the-post system and another 50 members were elected under the proportional representation (PR) system.

In June 2019, the newly elected Parliament adopted a bill abolishing the mixed electoral system, reinstating the previous pure PR system. On 16 August, President Igor Dodon promulgated Law No. 113 of 15 June 2019.

Number of candidates: 632 candidates (including 264 women) under the proportional representation system; and 325 candidates (including 70 women) under the majority system.
Sources: Parliament (12.03.2019, 07.06.2019)

Central Electoral Commission (05.07.2019)

https://a.cec.md/ro

BBC Monitoring

BBC

Reuters

Euro News

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

MOLDPRES

Moldova.org

TASS

https://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/moldova/412346?download=true

New legislature

Total number of men after the election: 75
Total number of women after the election: 26
Percentage of women after the election: 25.7%
First-term parliamentarians: 63
Percentage of first-term parliamentarians: 62.4%
Date of the first session: 21 Mar 2019

First Speaker of the new legislature

Personal details for the first Speaker of the new legislature: Zinaida Greceanîi (Female)
Date of birth: 1956
Political party: Party of Socialists (PSRM)
Date of election: 08 Jun 2019

Republic of Moldova

Parliament

Election results

Background

Candidates

Voter turnout

Results

Parties or coalitions winning seats

Members elected, by sex

New legislature

First Speaker of the new legislature

Historical data for IPU membership