Moldova

party to:

Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

noun:

Moldovan(s)

adjective:

Moldovan

0-14 years:

18.29% (male 324,002 /female 304,737)

15-24 years:

11.84% (male 210,988 /female 196,063)

25-54 years:

43.29% (male 752,758 /female 735,471)

55-64 years:

13.5% (male 213,410 /female 250,755)

65 years and over:

13.08% (male 176,252 /female 273,284) (2018 est.)

total dependency ratio:

34.5 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio:

21.2 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio:

13.4 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio:

7.5 (2015 est.)

total:

37 years (2018 est.)

male:

35.3 years

female:

38.9 years

at birth:

1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.08 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.02 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.85 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.64 male(s)/female

total population:

0.95 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

total:

11.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

male:

13.4 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

9.8 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

71.3 years (2018 est.)

male:

67.4 years

female:

75.4 years

conventional long form:

Republic of Moldova

conventional short form:

Moldova

local long form:

Republica Moldova

local short form:

Moldova

former:

Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic, Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic

etymology:

named for the Moldova River in neighboring eastern Romania

• 32 raions (raioane, singular - raion), 3 municipalities (municipii, singular - municipiul), 1 autonomous territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala autonoma), and 1 territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala) raions:
  • 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)

history:

previous 1978; latest adopted 29 July 1994, effective 27 August 1994

amendments:

• 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;
• amended several times, last in 2010;
• note – in early 2016, the Moldovan Constitutional Court decision returned the country to direct presidential elections, reversing a 2000 constitutional amendment that allowed Parliament to select the president (2016)

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Moldova

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

10 years

chief of state:

• President Igor DODON (since 23 December 2016);
• note – in 2017-19, DODON was temporarily suspended several times by the Moldovan Constitutional Court for rejecting ministerial appointments and for refusing to sign legislation

head of government:

Prime Minister Ion CHICU (since 14 November 2019)

cabinet:

Cabinet proposed by the prime minister-designate, nominated by the president, approved through a vote of confidence in Parliament

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 13 November 2016 (next to be held in fall 2020);
• prime minister designated by the president upon consultation with Parliament;
• within 15 days from designation, the prime minister-designate must request a vote of confidence for his/her proposed work program from the Parliament

election results:

• Igor DODON elected president;
• percent of vote - Igor DODON (PSRM) 52.2%, Maia SANDU (PAS) 47.8%;
• Ion CHICU designated prime minister;
• Parliament vote - 62 of 101

description:

unicameral Parliament (101 seats; 51 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 50 members directly elected in a single, nationwide constituency by closed party-list proportional representation vote; all members serve 4-year terms

elections:

last held on 24 February 2019 (next scheduled for February 2023)

election results:

• percent of vote by party - PSRM 31.2%, ACUM (PPDA + PAS) 26.8%, PDM 23.6%, PS 8.3%, other 10.1%;
• seats by party - PSRM 35, ACUM (PPDA + PAS) 26, PDM 30, PS 7, independent 3;
• composition - men 78, women 23, percent of women 22.8%

highest courts:

• 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);
• note - the Constitutional Court is autonomous to the other branches of government;
• the Court interprets the Constitution and reviews the constitutionality of parliamentary laws and decisions, decrees of the president, and acts of the government

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court of Justice judges appointed by the president upon 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

chief of mission:

Ambassador Dereck J. HOGAN (since 15 October 2018)

telephone:

[373] (22) 40-8300

embassy:

103 Mateevici Street, Chisinau MD-2009

mailing address:

use embassy street address

FAX:

[373] (22) 23-3044

• three equal vertical bands of Prussian blue (hoist side), chrome yellow, and vermilion red;
• emblem in center of flag is of a Roman eagle of dark gold (brown) outlined in black with a red beak and talons carrying a yellow cross in its beak and a green olive branch in its right talons and a yellow scepter in its left talons;
• on its breast is a shield divided horizontally red over blue with a stylized aurochs head, star, rose, and crescent all in black-outlined yellow;
• based on the color scheme of the flag of Romania - with which Moldova shares a history and culture - but Moldova's blue band is lighter;
• the reverse of the flag displays a mirrored image of the coat of arms

note: one of only three national flags that differ on their obverse and reverse sides - the others are Paraguay and Saudi Arabia

name:

"Limba noastra" (Our Language)

lyrics/music:

Alexei MATEEVICI/Alexandru CRISTEA

note: adopted 1994

• vegetables, fruits, grapes, grain, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, tobacco;
• beef, milk;
• wine

• sugar processing, vegetable oil, food processing, agricultural machinery;
• foundry equipment, refrigerators and freezers, washing machines;
• hosiery, shoes, textiles

agriculture:

32.3%

industry:

12%

services:

55.7% (2017 est.)

lowest 10%:

4.2%

highest 10%:

22.1% (2014 est.)

general assessment:

• the mobile market has extended the reach of service to outside the cities and across most of the country;
• endeavors to join the EU have promoted regulatory issues to be in line with EU principles and standards;
• market is competitive with 80 ISPs active;
• LTE services available and mobile broadband growth (2018)

domestic:

• competition among mobile telephone providers has spurred subscriptions;
• little interest in expanding fixed-line service 33 per 100;
• mobile-cellular teledensity sits at 105 per 100 persons (2018)

international:

• country code - 373;
• service through Romania and Russia via landline;
• satellite earth stations - at least 3 (Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik)

• state-owned national radio-TV broadcaster operates 1 TV and 1 radio station;
• a total of nearly 70 terrestrial TV channels and some 50 radio stations are in operation;
• Russian and Romanian channels also are available (2019)

National Army:

• Land Forces Command, Air Forces Command (includes air defense unit);
• Carabinieri Troops (a component of the Ministry of Internal Affairs that also has official status as a service of the Armed Forces during wartime) (2017)

• 18-27 years of age for compulsory or voluntary military service;
• male registration required at age 16;
• 1-year service obligation;
• note - Moldova intends to abolish military conscription by 2021. (2019)

number of registered air carriers:

3 (2015)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 12 (2015)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

1,005,942 (2015)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

489,630 mt-km (2015)

total:

1,171 km (2014)

standard gauge:

14 km 1.435-m gauge (2014)

broad gauge:

1,157 km 1.520-m gauge (2014)

total:

9,352 km (2012)

paved:

8,835 km (2012)

unpaved:

517 km (2012)

total:

151

by type:

bulk carrier 3, container ship 3, general cargo 113, oil tanker 8, other 24 (2018)

refugees (country of origin):

6,779 applicants for forms of legal stay other than asylum (Ukraine) (2015)

stateless persons:

4,451 (2018)

• limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis, mostly for CIS consumption;
• transshipment point for illicit drugs from Southwest Asia via Central Asia to Russia, Western Europe, and possibly the US;
• widespread crime and underground economic activity