Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Petru LUCINSCHI (since 15 January 1997)
head of government: Prime Minister Ion CIUBUC (since 15 January
1997) and four deputy prime ministers
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term;
election last held 17 November 1996; runoff election 1 December 1996
(next to be held NA November 2000); following legislative elections,
the leader of the majority party or leader of the majority coalition
is usually elected prime minister by Parliament; names of deputy
prime ministers are submitted by the prime minister for acceptance
by the president
election results: Petru LUCINSCHI ran against Mircea SNEGUR and was
elected president; percent of vote—LUCINSCHI 54%, SNEGUR 46%; Prime
Minister Ion CIUBUC was appointed by the president 15 January 1997
and was elected by a parliamentary vote of 75-15 on 24 January 1997
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Parlamentul (101
seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 22 March 1998 (next to be held spring 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party—PCM 30%, CDM 19%, PMDP
18%, PFD 9%; seats by party—PCM 40, CDM 26, PMDP 24, PFD 11
note: the comparative breakdown of seats by faction is approximate
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Communist Party or PCM [Vladimir VORONIN, first chairman]; The Democratic Convention or CDM (includes the Christian Democratic Popular Front or FPCD and the Party of chairman]; Bloc for a Democratic and Prosperous Moldova or PMDP
Political pressure groups and leaders: The Ecology Movement of
president]; Liberal Convention of Moldova (now the Liberal Party);
International organization participation: ACCT, BIS, BSEC, CCC,
CE, CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC,
IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ceslav CIOBANU chancery: 2101 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Rudolf Villem PERINA embassy: Strada Alexei Mateevicie, #103, Chisinau 2009 mailing address: use embassy street address; pouch address—American Embassy Chisinau, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-7080
Flag description: same color scheme as Romania—three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; emblem in center of flag is of a Roman eagle of gold outlined in black with a red beak and talons carrying a yellow cross in its beak and a green olive branch in its right talons and a yellow scepter in its left talons; on its breast is a shield divided horizontally red over blue with a stylized ox head, star, rose, and crescent all in black-outlined yellow