Moldova voter roll hits 3.3 million as residency rules tighten
Over 3.3 million citizens are registered to vote in Moldova as of Sept. 1, up by 7,387 from a year earlier, the Central Electoral Commission announced on Tuesday.
Data released by the electoral authority show that of the total 3,306,783 registered voters, 2,763,156 are assigned to administrative-territorial units across the country. Exactly a year ago, on Sept. 1, 2025, the national voter roll contained 3,299,396 entries.
Regional Breakdown and Displaced Electorate
The remaining 543,627 eligible citizens hold Moldovan passports but have no active domestic residence registration. This segment includes 264,903 officially emigrated citizens living abroad and 278,724 voters residing in the breakaway region of Transnistria, which remains outside constitutional government control.
Among voters tied to territorial administrative units, the largest concentrations are located in the capital municipality of Chișinău with 670,834 voters and the autonomous southern region of Gagauzia with 129,322.
The northern municipality of Bălți accounts for 98,830 registered voters, followed by the districts of Orhei with 96,186 and Hâncești with 95,436. Conversely, the smallest voter rolls were recorded in the eastern district of Dubăsari with 29,699 citizens and the southern district of Basarabeasca with 23,903.
Gagauzia Elections and Anti-Fraud Rules
Gagauzia, where approximately 130,000 citizens are eligible to cast ballots, is preparing to elect its regional parliament, the People's Assembly, on November 15. The official electoral period commenced on August 28, while active campaigning is set to begin one month prior to election day, on October 15. Candidates are legally barred from presenting campaign platforms before the official campaign window opens.
The electoral update follows amendments to Moldova's Electoral Code adopted in final reading on August 25. Under the revised legal framework, voters must register their permanent domicile or temporary residence at least three months prior to election day to cast ballots at that polling station.
“The measure aims to prevent artificial residence changes during the pre-electoral period that could manipulate election outcomes,” the commission stated in its explanatory note.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
