Legal System of Moldova

Moldova is located in Europe. It is geographically situated in eastern europe, northeast of romania. The country achieved independence on 27 august 1991 (from the soviet union). The capital is Chisinau in Romanian (Kishinev in Russian).

Government Overview

Government Type: parliamentary republic Chief of State: President Maia SANDU (since 24 December 2020) Head of Government: Prime Minister Alexandru MUNTEANU (since 1 November 2025) Cabinet: Cabinet proposed by the prime minister-designate, nominated by the president, approved through a vote of confidence in Parliament Administrative Divisions: 32 districts (raioane, singular - raion), 3 municipalities (municipii, singular - municipiul), 1 autonomous territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala autonoma), and 1 territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala)

districts: 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) National Holiday: Independence Day, 27 August (1991) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal System

The legal system of Moldova is described as civil law system with Germanic law influences; Constitutional Court reviews legislative acts International Law: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Constitutional Framework

The constitution has the following history: previous 1978; latest adopted 29 July 1994, effective 27 August 1994 Amendment Process: 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

Judicial Branch

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) Judge Selection: Supreme Court of Justice judges appointed by the president on 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 elected by other court judges for a 3-year term Subordinate Courts: Courts of Appeal; Court of Business Audit; municipal courts

Legislative Branch

The legislative structure consists of unicameral

Citizenship and Suffrage

Citizenship by Birth: no Citizenship by Descent: at least one parent must be a citizen of Moldova Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Historical Background

A large portion of present-day Moldovan territory became a province of the Russian Empire in 1812 and then unified with Romania in 1918 in the aftermath of World War I. This territory was then incorporated into the Soviet Union at the close of World War II. Although Moldova has been independent from the Soviet Union since 1991, Russian forces have remained on Moldovan territory east of the Nistru River in the breakaway region of Transnistria.

This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of Moldova based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.