Mayoralties with fewer than 3,000 inhabitants to undergo normative amalgamation; Moldovan parliament speaker says reform must be completed in next autumn

CHISINAU, Aug. 3 /MOLDPRES/ - All local public administrations with fewer than 3,000 inhabitants will have to undergo either voluntary amalgamation or normative amalgamation decided by the government, Secretary General of the Government Alexei Buzu has told Radio Moldova. In an exclusive interview given with MOLDPRES, Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu stressed that the administrative and territorial reform must be completed in next autumn, in order to respect the principle of predictability ahead of the 2027 general local elections.

Alexei Buzu explained why the administrative and territorial reform is being implemented. Moldova has one of the most fragmented administrative systems in Europe, and this situation directly affects the quality of public services and the pace of localities' development.

"In order to accelerate the development process and bring infrastructure and quality services to our citizens, especially in rural areas, we need greater administrative capacity. Unfortunately, we have an extremely fragmented system. (...) Eight out of ten families that do not have access to sewage and water live in mayoralties with fewer than 3,000 inhabitants. In these localities, the number of residents has decreased by one-third over the last decade. This process can no longer be postponed, because otherwise these families, these localities and our citizens will be the ones paying the price," Alexei Buzu said on at the "360 Degrees" programme on Radio Moldova.

Alexei Buzu specified that about 85 per cent of mayoralties had initiated the voluntary amalgamation process, and among authorities with fewer than 3,000 inhabitants the share reaches 90 per cent.

"As of today, we have 420 mayoralties that have taken final decisions. There are about 200 local public authorities that have gone through the stages of negotiation and consultation and are to adopt the final decision. We very much hope that they will do so in August," the official said.

At the same time, the government warns that localities that do not complete the voluntary amalgamation process will enter the normative amalgamation procedure. The official noted that, at present, about 60 mayoralties had communicated that they did not want to participate in voluntary amalgamation, while around 160 others have initiated the process, but negotiations have stalled.

"All municipalities with a population of fewer than 3,000 inhabitants must go through the amalgamation process. They either choose voluntary amalgamation, with incentives and negotiations, or normative amalgamation, in which the decision is taken by the government and there are no incentives," Alexei Buzu said.

The secretary general of the government noted that the normative amalgamation process had already been launched by notifying local authorities that refused voluntary reorganization. Buzu noted that the government of Moldova is currently drafting a bill on the administrative and territorial organization of Moldova.

Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu told MOLDPRES that the new law is to be adopted by the end of October or the beginning of November, so that local authorities, citizens and political parties have about one year to prepare for the 2027 local elections.

"We must adopt the law now, in the autumn, in order to provide one year of predictability ahead for citizens, communities, candidates and political forces that will, of course, take part in election campaigns. Here we are talking about the principle of predictability. And here, if you ask me about the case of Gagauzia, the same principle applies. We left the current electoral system in place because it is not fair to change the rules in the middle of the game, while the election date there had already been announced, and you cannot now come up with another, proportional electoral system," Igor Grosu said.

The speaker announced that, starting from next September, mayoralties that had opted for voluntary amalgamation would begin, together with the Infrastructure Ministry and the State Chancellery, preparing investment projects to be financed as of 2027.

"Starting from September, mayoralties that have amalgamated voluntarily will begin working with the Infrastructure Ministry and the State Chancellery on projects, on future financing projects, so that they can be approved starting from 2027," the parliament speaker specified.

The local public administration reform was launched by the Government at the beginning of 2026 and aims to strengthen the administrative capacity of municipalities and improve public services. Localities that have chosen voluntary amalgamation benefit from increased financial incentives, which will be invested in local development and in strengthening services for citizens.