IFES Election Guide - Election Profile for Moldova

Election Profile:

Overview

Results

Of Interest/Links

Sources

Country: Moldova
Official Name: Republic Of Moldova
Election Type: Parliamentary
Date: April 5, 2009

Source for election date

At stake in this election:

101 seats in the Parliament (Parlament)

Description of government structure:

Chief of State: President Vladimir VORONIN
Head of Government: Prime Minister Zinaida GRECEANII
Assembly: Moldova has a unicameral Parliament (Parlament) with 101 seats.

Description of electoral system:

The President is indirectly elected by parliament to serve a 4-year term. *
The Prime Minister is designated by the President.
In the Parliament (Parlament) 101 members are elected through a closed-list proportional representation system to serve 4-year terms.***

* The electoral system is two-round. 61 votes are needed (the votes of three-fifths of elected legislators). If more than two candidates run and none achieves this threshold, there is a runoff between the top two candidates within 10 days. If two or fewer candidates run and none achieves this threshold, there is a repeat election within 30 days. If no President is elected after a repeat election, the acting President dissolves Parliament, and there are new legislative elections. Parliament may be dissolved once per year.

*** There is a three percent threshold for independent candidates, five percent threshold for parties. An election is valid only if one-third of registered voters turn out.

Main parties in the electoral race:

Party: Communist Party of the Republic of Moldova / Partidul Comuni�Ÿtilor din Republica Moldova (PCRM)
Leader: Vladimir VORONIN
Seats won in this election: 60
Seats won in last election: 56
Party: Liberal Party / Partidul Liberal (PL)
Leader: Mihai GHIMPU
Seats won in this election: 15
Seats won in last election: 0
Party: Liberal Democratic Party / Partidul Liberal Democrat din Moldova (PLDM)
Leader: Vlad FILAT
Seats won in this election: 15
Seats won in last election: 0
Party: Our Moldova Alliance / Partidul Alianţ�ƒ Moldova Noastr�ƒ (AMN)****
Leader: Serafim URECHEAN
Seats won in this election: 11
Seats won in last election: 22
Party: Social Democratic Party / Partidul Social Democrat (PSD)
Leader: Dumitru BRAGHIS
Seats won in this election: 0
Seats won in last election: 0
Party: Popular Christian Democratic Party / Partidul Popular Cre�Ÿtin Democrat (PPCD)
Leader: Iurie ROSCA
Seats won in this election: 0
Seats won in last election: 11
Party: Democratic Party of Moldova / Partidul Democrat din Moldova (PDM)*******
Leader: Dumitru DIACOV
Seats won in this election: 0
Seats won in last election: 12

**** AMN ran as part of the now-defunct Democratic Moldova Bloc in the 2005 election.
******* PDM ran as part of the now-defunct Democratic Moldova Bloc in the 2005 election. In February it absorbed another Democratic Moldova Bloc partners, the Social Liberal Party (PSL). The two parties won a combined total of 12 seats in the 2005 election.