Following the administrative and territorial reorganization and the transition from districts to regions, each region will have a council comprising 35, 41 or 47 councillors, depending on its population. These provisions are set out in a draft law to amend the legal framework governing local public administration, IPN reports.

Under the draft proposal, regional councils will have 35 members in regions with a population of up to 300,000, 41 members in those with more than 300,000 but fewer than 600,000 residents, and 47 members in regions with more than 600,000 residents. Population figures will be determined using data from the State Population Register as of January 1 of the year in which the elections are held.

The draft also sets out the responsibilities of first-tier local public authorities and the future regions. Local authorities will continue to manage areas such as local development, spatial planning, local roads, transport and municipal services, within the scope of their statutory powers. The regions’ responsibilities will focus on regional development, including drawing up and implementing development strategies and projects, securing funding, fostering cooperation between localities and promoting cross-border collaboration. They will also be able to support local authorities at their request.

Another bill, drafted by the State Chancellery and put out for public consultation, concerns the administrative and territorial reorganization of the Republic of Moldova. It provides for the creation of three regions—Central, Northern and Southern—with administrative centres in Chișinău, Bălți and Cahul, respectively. The municipalities of Chișinău, Bălți and Taraclia would have separate status as second-tier administrative-territorial units, while the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia would retain its special status as an autonomous region.

According to the document, first-tier administrative units with fewer than 3,000 residents would be reorganized through either voluntary amalgamation or government-mandated mergers initiated after consultation with local authorities.

The explanatory note shows that, in 2024, 776 of the 892 local authorities surveyed administered areas with fewer than 3,000 residents. These areas were home to 40.3% of the country’s population. In 2025, only 41 local authorities managed to cover their administrative expenses entirely from their own revenues.

The authors maintain that the reorganization is intended to adapt local public administration to changes in healthcare, education, and social welfare, where some district-level responsibilities have been or are due to be transferred to the central authorities. The powers and funding arrangements of the future regional authorities will be governed by separate legislation.

According to the explanatory note accompanying the first draft law, the amendments concerning voluntary amalgamation would take effect on the date the law is published, while the remaining provisions on the structure of local public administration would enter into force on the date of the first round of the 2027 general local elections.