TRIBUNA continues its project presenting the political events that took place exactly one year ago. This time, we invite you to remember what happened on August 25, 2025.

Vasile Costiuc – stripped of his driving licence

The leader of the “Democracy at Home” Party, Vasile Costiuc, lost his driving licence. He described the suspension as abusive and accused the Police of “working on the orders of PAS.”

Order for Dorin Recean

Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova Dorin Recean was awarded the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, First Class, by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The decree was published on the website of the Ukrainian presidency. Ten other officials were also awarded the same order.

Four parties – activities restricted

Four parties affiliated with Ilan Șor — “Renaștere,” “Șansă,” “Forța de Alternativă și de Salvare a Moldovei” (FASM), and “Victorie” — lost their case at the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ).

Consequently, the activities of the parties remained restricted pending a ruling on the Ministry of Justice’s request for their dissolution and for them to be declared successors to the “Șor” Party, which had been declared unconstitutional. Representatives of the parties called the decision illegal and unjustified.

CEC decisions

The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) approved several decisions concerning the parliamentary elections of September 28, 2025.

The Commission registered a list of 53 candidates for the position of Member of Parliament submitted by the “Christian-Social Union of Moldova” Party.

The Commission also considered the application to register the list of candidates submitted by the Modern Democratic Party of Moldova. It did not receive the required number of votes for approval, so the matter was to be reconsidered at a subsequent Commission meeting.

The CEC rejected Dina Carpinschi’s application to register as an independent parliamentary candidate. Following verification of the signature lists, the Commission deemed 908 supporters’ signatures valid, below the minimum threshold of 1,000 signatures required in the case of a female candidate.

Promo-LEX statement

In a statement, Promo-LEX strongly condemned an incident that had occurred the previous day at a public event in Orhei, where a long-term observer with the Election Observation Mission “was subjected to a direct public attack and intimidation” by “Șansa” Party leader Alexei Lungu.

BENELUX delegation visit

Moldova’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mihai Popșoi, hosted a delegation of foreign ministers from the BENELUX countries in Chișinău: Xavier Bettel, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Luxembourg; Maxime Prévot, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belgium; and Heleen Bakker, Director-General for European Cooperation of the Netherlands.

The ministers later held meetings with President Maia Sandu and Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu.

Budget money for “Plaha”

The Government of the Republic of Moldova allocated 2.5 million lei from the public budget to promote the film “Plaha,” a Jurnal TV production portraying former Democratic Party leader Vladimir Plahotniuc in a negative context. The funds were allocated on August 7, 2025, at the initiative of Culture Minister Sergiu Prodan.

Irina Vlah’s appeal

Irina Vlah, leader of the Republican Party “Inima Moldovei,” addressed President Maia Sandu, urging her to publicly acknowledge the efforts made by Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to find a solution to the situation in Ukraine.

She also called on Sandu to send an official appeal to the two presidents concerning the security guarantees that were expected to be discussed in the immediate future and which, in one way or another, could also affect the Republic of Moldova.

Ion Ceban’s statement

During a meeting of Chișinău City Hall services, Mayor Ion Ceban expressed regret that the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova herself was distributing leaflets denigrating him on the streets of Chișinău.

More than 40,000 visitors to Parliament

The Parliament Secretariat published statistics showing that, between 2021 and 2025, the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova was visited by more than 40,000 people as part of over 1,400 informational visits organized for the general public.

Farewell meeting

Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu held a farewell meeting with EU Ambassador to Chișinău Jānis Mažeiks at the end of his mandate.

The Speaker thanked the ambassador for supporting Moldova’s authorities in the country’s EU accession process and awarded him the Parliament’s Diploma.

Igor Dodon’s meeting with Oleg Ozerov

Igor Dodon, president of the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova, met with Russian Ambassador to Moldova Oleg Ozerov.

The two exchanged views on the economic and political situation in the Republic of Moldova and the wider region.

TikTok launches Electoral Center

TikTok announced the launch of an Electoral Center within the app, in partnership with Moldova’s Central Electoral Commission, to facilitate access to reliable information, including voter registration, key dates, and information on how and where to find additional details about the September 28, 2025 parliamentary elections.

Maia Sandu’s meeting with Marilena Raouna

President Maia Sandu met with Marilena Raouna, Cyprus’s Deputy Minister for European Affairs. Cyprus was scheduled to assume the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union on January 1, 2026, for a six-month term.

The discussions focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation in the context of Moldova’s European path.

Dorin Recean’s conversation with Benjamin Netanyahu

Prime Minister Dorin Recean held a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The two officials discussed the situation of Moldovan citizens in Israel and the measures needed to ensure their safety and well-being, as well as compliance with their working conditions.

CEC clarifications

The Central Electoral Commission announced the conditions under which electoral contestants registered for the September 28, 2025 parliamentary elections could request changes to their candidate lists.

The CEC also reminded eligible voters that they had 10 more days to declare a new place of residence to the local public administration authority — the mayor’s office or pretura — if they had changed their place of residence since the last election in which they participated.

Vlad Batrîncea’s appeal

Parliament Deputy Speaker Vlad Batrîncea, a deputy representing the Bloc of Communists and Socialists, addressed international organizations and diplomatic missions, warning that Moldova’s authorities had committed a serious violation of democratic principles and citizens’ electoral rights ahead of the September 28, 2025 parliamentary elections.

Source: Political Almanac 2025