Legal Framework. On 17 April, the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova set the date for the 2025 parliamentary elections as 28 September. Selecting a date more than five months in advance makes the electoral process more predictable.

Of the 22 recommendations that Promo-LEX made after the 2021 parliamentary elections, 20 were partially or fully implemented and two were ignored. Recommendations that were implemented include the regulation of organized voter transportation, the prohibition of religious groups’ involvement in the campaign, and improved access to voting for the diaspora.

Three major changes were made in 2024–2025, including changes to the registration of electoral competitors and toughen sanctions for electoral corruption.

Nomination of Candidates. Nominations for the parliamentary elections on 28 September 2025, began on 20 July and will end 40 days before the election. The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) announced that only 39 of the 66 registered political parties meet the conditions for participation and 14 parties are awaiting decisions from the Public Services Agency (PSA) or the courts. Parties that did not submit a complete list of their leadership to the PSA, as required by the recent amendments to the Law on Political Parties, have had their right to participate in the campaign restricted. This rule could affect the competitiveness of the parliamentary elections. During the first two days, the PAS and the PPDA submitted applications to register their lists, and seven potential independent candidates requested to begin collecting signatures.

Promotional, Election-oriented Activities. During the pre-election period, Promo-LEX observed several parties and potential electoral competitors holding such activities, even though the official campaign does not begin until 29 August 2025. According to the law, an electoral campaign is only permitted after candidate registration and no earlier than 30 days before the election. This means that the parties’ current actions can be considered political promotional activities if they are not held in the context of initiative group activities and/or the promotion of potential designated candidates.

Active parties include PAS, which launched a national information campaign on its achievements and plans for EU accession, and PSRM, which promotes “sovereign politics” through the distribution of materials and collection of signatures. Other parties, including PPMM, PRIM, PPVM, MRM, BE “Alternativa”, and BP “Împreună”, are holding online campaigns, meetings with citizens, protests, and presentations of political programs.

Use of Administrative Resources. Promo-LEX warns against using administrative resources for political purposes during or outside the election period, as this contravenes international standards on the separation of state and political parties.

Before the parliamentary elections, state institutions used public resources and funds to gain political capital. After the election date was set, Parliament amended the state budget and reallocated funds for various projects. The government then launched the “Moldova Poate” campaign, which PAS took up and promoted. Promo-LEX points out that these initiatives could be mistaken for election promises.

The Mayor’s Office of Chisinau ran information campaigns with personalized messages for Mayor Ion Ceban, and MAN sponsored the campaigns’ promotion on online platforms. According to Promo-LEX, President Maia Sandu was also involved in supporting the PAS list of candidates. This raises questions about the neutrality of the presidential office.

Financing of Elections and Electoral Campaigns. The CEC budget for the 28 September 2025 parliamentary elections is approximately 152.86 million MDL, of which over 10 million are intended for postal voting.

Electoral campaign financing is strictly regulated, with ceilings set by the CEC representing 0.1% of state budget revenues relative to the number of voters. For initiative groups (IGs), this ceiling is multiplied by the maximum number of signatures required to support a candidate for elective office. Candidates may use their own resources, accept donations, and receive interest-free loans from the state. However, funding from foreign companies, non-governmental organizations, religious groups, or citizens with no declared income is prohibited.

All parties must open a dedicated bank account and appoint a responsible treasurer. Financial reports must be submitted to the CEC weekly and published within 24 hours. Failure to comply with these rules may result in sanctions from the CEC ranging from warnings and withdrawal of budget allocations to cancellation of an electoral competitor’s registration or deregistration of a party.

Central Electoral Commission (CEC) activity. Elections are organized according to the Calendar Program approved by the CEC. Although the CEC is operating at full capacity, the staff was not complete at the beginning of the election period.

For the 2025 parliamentary elections, the CEC plans to increase the number of polling stations abroad. Postal voting is now available in Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, in addition to the countries where it was previously implemented.

During the monitoring period, the CEC received at least six complaints regarding the use of campaign materials outside the legal period, the use of administrative resources, and undeclared donations. Most of these complaints were filed by MAN and PAS.

Hate Speech and Incitement to Discrimination. The parliamentary elections of 28 September 2025 represent the third election held since the introduction of sanctions for hate speech and incitement to discrimination or violence based on prejudice in 2022. According to Promo-LEX monitoring, the frequency of such cases has decreased: the daily average was 1.1 cases in the 2023 local elections and 2.6 cases in the 2024 presidential elections, compared to the 3.9 cases recorded in the 2021 parliamentary elections. Additionally, the number of complaints filed with the General Police Inspectorate has decreased considerably.

Finally, the Monitoring Report provides several recommendations to the institutions involved in the electoral process. These recommendations are addressed to Parliament, the Central Electoral Commission, the Government of the Republic of Moldova, local public authorities, and political parties, and aim to clearly define and sanction the use of administrative resources; ensure the predictability of the electoral process; increase transparency in decision-making and publish information on the CEC’s budget and regulations; prohibit the use of administrative resources during the election period; and conduct election campaign in strict accordance with the law.