The Central Electoral Commission (CEC), at its meeting yesterday, approved the opinion on Parliament’s draft decision regarding the organization of a consultative republican referendum (legislative initiative No. 228 of 29 June 2026).

According to the draft decision examined by the Commission, it is proposed to set 27 September 2026 as the date for holding a consultative republican referendum on several aspects related to the reform of local public administration.

The Commission noted that the questions submitted for public consultation must be formulated with sufficient clarity and precision, so that voters can unequivocally understand the subject on which they are asked to express their position. Consequently, the CEC indicated that certain elements in the proposed wording require clarification, as they do not meet the legal standards.

The opinion also highlights the need to align the draft decision with the procedural deadlines established by the Electoral Code for organizing a republican referendum. To ensure that the referendum can be held within the proposed timeframe, a potential Parliament decision would need to be adopted no later than 19 July of this year.

Furthermore, the Commission drew attention to relevant Constitutional Court practice concerning public consultations and emphasized that financial resources must be allocated before the start of the referendum’s organizational process.

The CEC’s preliminary estimate places the necessary funding for such a referendum at approximately 198,564,900 lei. It is underscored that only Parliament, with the Government’s approval, is authorized to allocate these funds from the state budget.

Following the examination of the draft, two members of the Commission submitted separate opinions.

The initiative to hold the referendum belongs to the National Alternative Movement (MAN) and is supported by the entire parliamentary opposition.