Moldova 101
This page is a curated set of background explainers, reference pieces, and contextual articles designed to help readers quickly get oriented on Moldovan politics, institutions, history, and society.
This page is intended for journalists, diplomats, researchers, investors, and anyone who needs a reliable foundation for understanding how Moldova works and why current events matter. It brings together both evergreen explainers and selected analysis from Moldova Matters that remain useful well beyond the news cycle.
I badly wish I had published something like this before the 2025 parliamentary elections and my guiding light here is highlighting information that is useful for people suddenly tuning in to Moldovan affairs.
The collection is updated over time as institutions evolve, elections reshape the political landscape, and new reference material is published.
Journalists Start Here
First up is a practical orientation for foreign journalists - especially those reporting on Moldova for the first time. It’s based on the sources and resources that I use and trust.
Journalists - Start Here (Updated January 22, 2026)
Contents
Understanding the Moldovan System
If you want to know about elections, polling, the separation of powers and just how things function day to day - the following articles are for you.
Explainer: How Parliamentary Elections Work
Published September 5th, 2025. This article dives into the mechanics of parliamentary elections in Moldova.
Understanding Polling in Moldova
Published September 3, 2025. This article looks a electoral polling in Moldova and breaks down the systemic problems and complexities of polling this small but diverse country.
The Separation of Powers in the Elected Branches
Published June 26, 2024 on the Moldova Matters podcast. This episode is a short overview of the structure of Moldova’s elected political institutions. I hope to replace this with an updated article soon.
Future Additions to this Section
In the future I hope to add some more articles to this section (and I’m always open to suggestions). Right now I have the following planned:
Unpacking the Courts - Understanding Moldova’s Judiciary
Who’s Who in Government and Politics?
Who are all these parties and politicians? We try and answer that in the following articles.
The Current Government
Published November 3 & 4, 2025, these articles look at Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu’s cabinet. We look at who stayed from the Recean cabinet, who is new and why the changes may have been made.
Understanding the PAS Party
Published July 21, 2025 this article was written to address a specific question - why was PAS the only competitive pro-EU party in the 2025 parliamentary elections? In answering, I wrote a sort of history of the PAS party and tracked how it evolved through the outbreak of war to the present. Looking back, this article can stand in as a sort of history of the ruling party.
Right and Left Wing Politics in Moldova
Published was back on June 9, 2021 this article holds up surprisingly well. At the time, the article attempted to grapple with the fact that the traditional left-right political spectrum is incredibly garbled in Moldova. This has only become more clear in the years since with the nominally left wing Socialists openly flirting with rebranding as a right wing populist party called the “Sovereigntists.”
Future Additions to this Section
In the future I hope to add some more articles to this section (and I’m always open to suggestions). Right now I have the following planned:
A Practical Guide to Moldova’s Political Parties
Moldova’s Fugitive Oligarchs
Transnistria
Moldova’s Transnistria region is both one of the best known things about Moldova and one of the least understood. Here are some articles to orient yourself on the breakaway region and how it impacts Moldova.
War and Attempted Resolution 1992 - 2022
In July 2024 I recorded an episode of the Moldova Matters podcast with Dr. William H Hill, head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova from 2003-2006 and from 1999-2001. Currently a Global Fellow at the Wilson Center he is among the world foremost authorities on Transnistria and the past attempts at resolving the conflict.
Transnistria’s Strategic Conundrum
Published in September 2023 this article looks at the traditional balance of power and leverage between Moldova and Transnistria1 and how that changed after the full scale invasion.
Transnistria’s Status Quo Cannot Hold
Published in November 2025 this article looks at the further deterioration of the region’s strategic position but pays special attention to internal political tensions.
Moldova’s Approach to Reintegration
Published in December 2025 this article lays out the Moldovan government’s approach to reintegrating the Transnistria region. Based on numerous background conversations and closed door discussions I write about how Moldova sees reintegration, and why the government rejects “easy solutions” to what remains a very complex problem.
How We Got Here? Relevant Political History
For such a small and young country, Moldova sure is complicated! A look at the country’s history - both from the distant and the recent past - can shed a lot of light on the events of the day.
Moldova’s Union Debate, Then and Now
Published in January 2025, this article was written in response to an interview President Maia Sandu gave to The Rest is Politics Podcast about union with Romania. In it I wrote about Moldova and Romania uniting in 1918 - specifically, the history, the misconceptions and what those events can tell us about the modern discussion of union.
Moldova’s First Turn Towards Europe 2009 - 2014
Before there was Maidan there were the “events” of April 2009 in Moldova. Was it a revolution? or a coup? In this series of 3 podcasts with guest George Teodorescu I look at the revolution that brought down the Communists, the first coalition for EU integration, the rise of Plahotniuc and the Theft of the Billion.
Moldova’s Early Modern History
Published in September 2024, this article is a look at Moldova’s relationship with the Russian empire through the lens of Russian Prince Gregory Potemkin - who died in a quiet field in Moldova in 1791. We unpack the politics of that time and tie interpretations of this historical memory to the events of today.
Future Additions to this Section
In the future I hope to add some more articles to this section (and I’m always open to suggestions). Right now I have the following planned:
Moldova’s Historical “Pivot” Events - A planned overview of the April 2009 events, the theft of the billion, the fall of Plahotniuc, etc.
Moldova’s Strategic Neighborhood
Since the full scale invasion of February 2022, Moldova’s neighborhood has been on fire. Russia has been absolutely clear that their war aim is to conquer Ukraine and to control Moldova as well. I’ve written a lot about the country’s strategic challenges over the years, but the big 3 here are my “In a Pickle” series of articles.
For those unfamiliar, to be “in a pickle” is an English language idiom equivalent to “between a rock and a hard place” or, simply put, in a difficult situation.
Moldova is in a Pickle
Published shortly after the full scale invasion in April 2022 this article sought to grapple with the radically changed security situation. It was also meant to answer questions for many of my readers who were wondering when / if they should flee west. The article is rooted in that moment, but the analysis of the critical cities and geography to Moldova’s defenses remains relevant today.
Transnistria is in a Pickle
Already linked above in the Transnistria section, this article from September 2023 explains why Transnistria required a return to the status quo anti to survive, and why that would not happen.
Europe is in a Pickle
Published in December 2025 this article was my response to the shocking (yet not surprising) American national security strategy. I look at the implications for Europe and Moldova. Like the other articles in this series, it focuses on a permanent break in the security situation and why hoping for a return to the status quo ante is both a mistake, and not a strategy.
Moldova’s Shaky Regional Security
Published in April 2025 this article captured a very specific moment in time - right before Romania’s re-do presidential elections. It seemed very possible that the populist far-right would come to power in Romania and create an existential crisis for Moldova. I write about how the rise of the far-right was compounding Moldova’s existing security crises. Even though George Simion did not win that election, this topic remains ever more relevant today.
Economics and Reform
Interested in reading about the nuts and bolts of taking a Soviet-legacy system and building a European country? These articles are for you:
Moldova’s Green Turn (How Crisis Sparked a Renewable Energy Revolution)
In spite of many years of talk, Moldova was completely unprepared when Russia used their energy weapon in late 2021. Published in September 2025 this article looks at how the weaponization of energy by Russia has sparked a boom in solar and renewables in Moldova. It also looks at how state policy is supporting this shift.
Explainer: Salaries, Taxes and Migration
Ever wonder why Moldova’s economy is so underdeveloped? Or why so many people leave the country to work abroad? Here’s a primer on just how ludicrous and self defeating Moldovan regulation is and how it might be fixed. Published in December 2023 this article is a bit out of date as some reforms have since been made… but it mostly holds up.
Justice Reform and Paths Not Taken
Justice reform is the #1 priority of the government after basic security. It is the reason Maia Sandu and PAS got elected - to fight corruption. It is also the most important set of reforms to getting into the EU. So how’s it going? and why is it so slow? This article, written in September 2024, looks at the issue in the context of voter sentiment in the elections. Since then progress has been made, but this article still holds up pretty well.
Discover Moldova
Want to know more about the Moldovan countryside, culture and life in this country? Well look no further! Here are some articles to give you a flavor of Moldova.
Vin (Jin) de Casă - Moldovan House Wine
Where can you find the best house wine in Moldova? In whatever house you happen to be in.
48 (or 72) Hours in Chisinau
Published in May 2023 as thousands of journalists and visitors descended on Moldova for the European Political Communist (EPC) summit, this article was meant as an intro to Chisinau for business travelers. It’s still a pretty good guide to how to spend a nice couple of days in Chisinau.
Surviving winter, granny-style
Want to know more about village life? Join the Journo Birds team as they cook, bake and make pickles alongside the pros.
Hiking in Moldova: An Undiscovered World
Moldova’s countryside is beautiful but has little infrastructure for tourists. Join the Journo Birds team on an off-trail adventure. If biking is more your speed - we’ve got an article for that too.
Moldova aims for global recognition of its underground world
Did you know that the largest and second largest wine cellars in the world are both in Moldova? Take journey through hundreds of kilometers of underground tunnels filled with wine as the Journo Birds team visit Moldova’s wine cities.
The Song that Keeps Coming Back
What do DJ David Guetta, OneRepublic, T.I., Rihanna and early (pre-youtube) internet video sensation Gary Brolsma all have in common? They have released songs based on the 2003 hit by Moldovan band O-Zone called "Dragostea Din Tei.”
Future Additions to this Section
In the future I hope to add some more articles to this section (and I’m always open to suggestions). Right now I have the following planned:
Language in Moldova - A primer on Moldova’s languages and regional differences.
For reasons of simplicity I often use “Moldova” for the parts of the country under control of the constitutional authorities in Chisinau. I use “Transnistria” or, more often, the “Transnistrian region” to refer to the breakaway region. I avoid “right bank” and “left bank” because it can be confusing and doesn’t really account for the large elements of both sides of the river controlled by the opposite side. In reality, all territory in question is Moldova.