Skip to content
VoteRights

Moldova

Europe · md

Parliamentary republic; president elected by direct popular vote in a two-round system; elections run by the Central Electoral Commission (CEC).

Profile last reviewed July 23, 2026

Moldova has held competitive elections since independence in 1991, with power alternating between rival blocs. The presidency moved from direct election to selection by parliament in 2000 and back to a direct vote after a Constitutional Court ruling in 2016. A very large diaspora makes out-of-country voting decisive in close contests, and the number and placement of overseas polling stations is itself a recurring political dispute. The 2024 presidential election and the simultaneous EU-accession referendum were held against documented vote-buying and coordinated interference.

How voting works today

Voting age
18 and over
Voter registration
Automatic
Identification
Any identity document
Compulsory voting
No
Early voting
Not available
Online voting
Not available
Voting from abroad
Available to all

Voters are drawn from the State Register of Voters. Citizens abroad vote at polling stations opened at diplomatic missions, and how many are opened, and where, is a recurring subject of political argument because the diaspora vote can decide a close race.

How the franchise changed

Every entry records a change in who could vote, or how — expansions, restrictions and procedural reforms alike.

  1. 1991Expansion

    Independence from the Soviet Union opened the way to multi-party elections.

  2. 1994Expansion

    The first parliamentary elections of the independent state were held.

  3. 2000Restriction

    A constitutional change moved the election of the president from the voters to parliament.

  4. 2016Expansion

    A Constitutional Court ruling restored the direct election of the president by voters.

  5. 2024Reform

    The presidential election was held alongside a referendum on writing EU accession into the constitution, against a documented backdrop of vote-buying and coordinated online interference.

Safeguards on the count

Ballot type
Paper ballots
Post-election audit
Judicial challenge only
Election administration
Independent commission
Domestic observers
Yes
International observers
Yes

Ballots are paper and counted by hand. The Central Electoral Commission is a permanent body and both domestic and international observers are routinely accredited; ODIHR has observed recent national votes.

Worth knowing

  • Out-of-country ballots have been decisive in recent presidential contests: the diaspora votes in far larger numbers than its share of the register would suggest.
  • The 2024 referendum on writing EU accession into the constitution passed by less than one percentage point.

Elections in the database

People

Sources

← All countries