Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Parlament / Parliament |
Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
LEGAL FRAMEWORK |
Electoral Law |
1 October 1993 Last amended on 20 July 2017 |
Mode of designation |
directly elected 101 |
Constituencies |
- 51 single-member constituencies for 51 seats to be filled under the majority system.
- 1 nationwide constituency for 50 seats to be filled under the proportional representation system.
|
Voting system |
Mixed:
Parallel system using the first-past-the-post (FPTP) and List Proportional Representation (List PR) system with closed lists.
Candidates may run in both systems. If a candidate is elected in both systems, it is considered that he/she is elected under the FPTP system.
In the FPTP system, the candidate obtaining the highest number of votes will be elected.
Seats under the proportional representation system are distributed first to the parties which have surpassed the thresholds (see below) and according to their share of votes. The remaining seats are distributed sequentially, by each party (or other socio-political organization, each electoral bloc), starting with the electoral candidate who has obtained the largest number of votes in descending order.
The following proportions of valid votes cast nationwide constitute the threshold for representation:
- For a party or socio-political organization - 6%
- For electoral blocs - 8%
Vacancies for members elected under the List PR system which occur in between general elections are filled by the next-in-line candidates of the same party. By-elections are held if seats occupied by members elected from single-seat-constituencies become vacant.
Voting is not compulsory. |
Voter requirements |
- age: 18 years
- Moldovan citizenship
Persons in detention (including convicts) may vote. Students are also allowed vote without a residence permit or visa in the area where they study. |
CANDIDATES |
Eligibility |
- qualified voters
- age: 18 years
- Moldovan citizenship
Persons with dual (or multiple) citizenship may run for parliamentary elections without restriction. |
Incompatibilities |
- President of the Republic
- members of the government (parliamentarians appointed to the government may hold a government post for a maximum of six months but must relinquish one of the posts thereafter)
- Ombudsman
- any paid position, including those offered by a foreign State or international organization |
Candidacy requirements |
- candidates nominated by parties, or as independents
Note:
In the single-member constituencies, budgetary support to political parties with more than 40% women candidates will be increased by at least 10% of the amount allocated to the respective parties for the budgetary year. Such parties will also benefit from budgetary support for every woman-candidate elected in the single-member constituency (based on the coefficient multiplied by the number of women-candidates elected). |