Elections in Moldova: 2024 Presidential Election and Constitutional Referendum

Voting for the Republic of Moldova’s presidential elections and constitutional referendum will take place on Sunday, October 20, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time at 1,957 polling stations across the country and 231 polling stations abroad.  If no candidate wins a majority of votes, a second round will take place on November 3.

Moldovan citizens in Canada, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the United States have the option to vote by mail for the first time. Citizens who have registered to vote using this method must ensure that their ballots are delivered to the premises of the relevant precinct electoral bureau (PEB) by 6 p.m. local time on October 17. In the event of a second round, ballots must be delivered to the relevant PEB by the end of the day on October 31.

The October 20 presidential election and referendum are taking place at a decisive moment for Moldova and its citizens. Since pro-European president Maia Sandu took office in 2020, Moldova’s drive to join the European Union (EU) has accelerated, with the country being granted official EU candidate status in June 2022 and accession negotiations formally launched in June 2024. As a result of these developments Sandu called for an “EU referendum” on October 20, allowing citizens to decide whether provisions in support of Moldova’s accession to the EU should be added to the Constitution. A vote in favor of European integration could contribute to strengthening Moldova’s commitment to meeting the benchmarks required to join the EU. In contrast, a rejection of the referendum could create serious political obstacles to accession and the potential benefits to be reaped from it.

Russian interference in the election and referendum is a major concern as Moldova seeks to strengthen its democratic institutions to meet EU standards. According to a joint statement by Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the Kremlin is attempting to wage a hybrid war against Moldova by spreading disinformation and criticisms of Sandu’s government to destabilize it and keep the country within Russia’s sphere of influence. In line with these efforts, the Kremlin is also reportedly supporting political entities that oppose President Sandu, which have staged anti-government protests, orchestrated free trips to Russia for certain influential groups, and more over the past two years.

The Central Election Commission has registered 11 presidential candidates:

• Alexandr Stoianoglo, supported by the Party of Socialists.
• Maia Sandu, supported by the Party of Action and Solidarity.
• Renato Usatîi, leader of and supported by Our Party.
• Vasile Tarlev, supported by the Party for the Future of Moldova.
• Irina Vlah, supported by a citizens’ assembly.
• Ion Chicu, supported by the Party of Development and Consolidation of Moldova.
• Andrei Năstase, supported by a citizens’ assembly.
• Octavian Țîcu, supported by the TOGETHER Electoral Bloc.
• Victoria Furtună, supported by a citizens’ assembly.
• Natalia Morari, supported by a citizens’ assembly.
• Tudor Ulianovschi, supported by a citizens’ assembly.

In the referendum, Moldovans will have the opportunity to vote “Yes” or “No” on the question “Do you agree with Moldova joining the European Union?” If a majority vote “Yes” and turnout is greater than 33 percent, the Constitution of Moldova will be amended to declare EU accession a strategic goal and add provisions to the Constitution on the EU integration process. Twelve political parties and one electoral bloc have registered to participate in the referendum in support of voting “Yes,” and two have registered to support voting “No.”

The president of Moldova is elected using the majoritarian model, which requires a candidate to receive at least half of the total votes cast in an election. If no candidate receives the votes necessary to cross this threshold, a second round will be held between the two candidates who receive the most votes in the first round. The candidate who receives the most votes in the second round will then be declared president of Moldova. The president serves for a mandate of four years and can be elected for a maximum of two consecutive terms. Presidential candidates can be nominated by registered political parties, registered electoral blocs of parties, and Moldovan citizens who submit their own applications, including independent candidates.

Elections in Moldova are primarily regulated by the Electoral Code, most recently re-written in 2022. The legal framework also includes the Constitution; the laws on Political Parties, Assembly, and Advertisement; and regulations adopted by the Central Electoral Commission and Parliament to supplement the Electoral Code. A constitutional referendum can be initiated by at least 100,000 Moldovan citizens who are eligible to vote, one-third of the Members of Parliament, the president, or the government. The provision of the Constitution that is subject to such a referendum must be adopted if it receives at least half of all votes from those who participated in the referendum.

Citizens of Moldova who are eligible to vote are 40 years of age or older on Election Day, live or have lived on Moldovan territory for at least 10 years, know the Romanian language, and have completed a bachelor’s degree or equivalent are eligible to run as presidential candidates.

The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) is Moldova’s primary electoral management body. It has the power to draw up and approve regulations and instructions for electoral procedures; ensure the exercise and protection of Moldovan citizens’ electoral rights; enforce the Electoral Code; examine election-related complaints; tabulate elections at the national level; and perform other duties as defined under Articles 25 through 28 of the Moldovan Electoral Code.

Lower-level electoral management bodies include second-level district electoral councils (DECs), first-level DECs, and precinct electoral bureaus (PEBs). DECs establish and supervise PEBs; enforce the implementation of the Electoral Code; tabulate district-level election results, draw up reports, and deliver them to the CEC; and carry out other responsibilities.

PEBs are the lowest-level electoral body. They are primarily in charge of receiving, storing, and updating voters’ lists and ballot papers; organizing voting on Election Day; tabulating votes, drawing up reports, and delivering them to the relevant DEC; and other tasks.

With the exception of the second-level DEC chairpersons, who hold permanent positions, the mandates of members of the DECs and PEBs end once election results have been validated and all outstanding complaints have been resolved.

Moldovan citizens aged 18 or older on Election Day have the right to vote unless this right has been voided by a court decision. Registration for voting is passive and based on information from the State Register of the Population. As of September 1, 3,302,124 voters were registered to participate in the presidential election and referendum.

Out-of-country voting is allowed for the presidential election and referendum. For those voting in person at polling stations abroad, pre-registration is optional.

For the first time, Moldovan citizens in Canada, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the United States will have the option to cast their votes by mail. Pre-registration is required for this method of voting, and the deadline to do so for the 2024 presidential election and referendum was September 6. A total of 1,986 voters were registered by the deadline, and a total of 1,809 had their registration confirmed:  508 in Canada, 70 in Finland, 26 in Iceland, 127 in Norway, 90 in Sweden, and 988 in the United States.

Upon receipt from all district electoral councils, the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) must tabulate all votes. It must then inform the public of the results as soon as possible, so long as they have not been affected by complaints submitted to the CEC or Constitutional Court.

Once the CEC has established that one presidential candidate has received at least half of the votes cast, it must declare the election valid and the winning candidate elected. The CEC must then send a signed record of the voting results in protocols and a CEC decision on the summary of results to the Constitutional Court, which must adopt a decision confirming or rejecting the election results and the election of a candidate.

In the case of a referendum, the CEC must submit a signed record of the voting results in protocols to the Constitutional Court within 24 hours of the tabulation of votes. The Constitutional Court then has 10 days to examine the documents and adopt a decision confirming or denying the referendum results.

• Electoral Code of the Republic of Moldova (2022) – English Translation
• Constitution of the Republic of Moldova
• ODIHR Election Observation Mission Final Report – Republic of Moldova Local Elections – November 5, 2023

The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) implements a program of electoral assistance in Moldova under funding provided by the United States Agency for International Development. IFES first worked in Moldova in 1994. Alongside state and independent local partners, IFES provides technical assistance through international good practice that supports the organic development of democratic elections and political culture.

These FAQs reflect decisions made by the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Moldova as of the publication date, to the best of our knowledge. This document does not represent any IFES policy or technical recommendations.