Administrative divisions: previously divided into 40 rayons; new districts possible under new constitution in 1994
Independence: 27 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, 27 August 1991
Constitution: new constitution adopted NA July 1994; replaces old
Soviet constitution of 1979
Legal system: based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction but accepts many UN and OSCE documents
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Mircea SNEGUR (since 3 September 1990);
election last held 8 December 1991 (next to be held NA 1996); results
- Mircea SNEGUR ran unopposed and won 98.17% of vote; note - President
SNEGUR was named executive president by the Supreme Soviet on 3
September 1990 and was confirmed by popular election on 8 December
1991
head of government: Prime Minister Andrei SANGHELI (since 1 July 1992;
reappointed 5 April 1994 after elections for new legislature); First
Deputy Prime Minister Ion GUTU (since NA)
cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president on
recommendation of the prime minister
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament: elections last held 27 February 1994 (next to be held NA 1999); results - percent by party NA; seats - (104 total) Agrarian-Democratic Party 56, Socialist/Yedinstvo Bloc 28, Peasants and Intellectual Bloc 11, Christian Democratic Popular Front 9
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Popular Front
(formerly Moldovan Popular Front), Iurie ROSCA, chairman; Yedinstvo
Intermovement, Vladimir SOLONARI, chairman; Social Democratic Party,
Oazu NANTOI, chairman, two other chairmen; Agrarian-Democratic Party,
Dumitru MOTPAN, chairman; Democratic Party, Gheorghe GHIMPU, chairman;
Democratic Labor Party, Alexandru ARSENI, chairman; Reform Party,
Anatol SELARU; Republican Party, Victor PUSCAS; Socialist Party,
Valeriu SENIC, cochairman; Communist Party, Vladimir VORONIN,
cochairman; Peasants and Intellectuals Bloc