Local and Regional Governments in Europe

Moldova
The Republic of Moldova is a unitary state
composed of two levels of local government.
The first tier is composed by: villages (sate), communes
(comune), cities (orașe) and municipalities (municipii)*.
The second tier is formed of districts (raioane), the Gagauzia
Autonomous Territorial Administrative Unit and the
municipalities of Chisinau and Balti.
State structure
unitary
Number of
Sub-national governments
2016
LOCAL 1,679
REGIONAL 35
Capital city
Chisinau
Population
3,461,000
Geographical size
33,846 km²
Currency
Moldovan Leu (MDL)
Vote
non-compulsory
Local level 1,547 villages (sate) and communes* (comune),
5 municipalities (municipii) and 61 cities* (orașe) plus about 66 villages (sate)
within cities structure
The local council (consiliu local)
is the deliberative body of the
local authorities. Its members are
elected by direct universal suffrage
for a period of four years, either on
the basis of political party lists or
independent candidates. Budget
setting, local policies and territorial
planning are the main competences.
The executive body is represented by
the mayor (primar), who is elected by
direct universal suffrage for a period
of four years, and by the mayor's
office (primarie).
Competences of communes,
cities and municipalities*
• Urban and spatial planning
• Waste management
• Water management and sewerage
systems
• Local roads management
• Local public transport
• Cemeteries
• Local property management
• Educational centre management
• Local gas and heating distribution
• Culture, sport and recreation
• Economic development
• Social housing
• Fire services
* See p.89
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