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Country Background

Moldova is a landlocked country located in Eastern Europe. It is bounded by Ukraine and Romania. The capital is Chisinau. The official language is Romanian. The country’s population in 2016 was approximately 3.5 million. Moldova is a predominantly Christian country, with about 90% of the population Orthodox.

Constitution & Legal Structure

Moldova is referred to as a parliamentary republic, in which sovereignty belongs to the people and the Constitution is the supreme law of the land. Historically, the Moldovan legal system has been categorized as a legal system in the civil law family. Geographic reasons also lead one to note that Moldova’s legal system should fall within the civil law family, mixed with Germanic features. However, during Soviet times the Moldovan legal system was adjusted to the Soviet Union’s legal norms, representing an overlap of the Soviet and Continental legal systems. After Moldova gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1990, the legal system was reformed in order to harmonize it according to national historical traditions and European legal models.

In 1994, the Moldovan Parliament approved a new Constitution, declaring Moldova a republic as well as declaring its enduring neutrality. The Constitution was amended in 2003, with the new Moldovan Civil Code, Penal Code, Civil Procedural Code, and Penal Procedural Code adopted and those from Soviet times abrogated. Accordingly, the entire legal system underwent major changes. The entire list of new Codes can be viewed here. The Constitution was most recently amended in 2006. Moldova's system of government is based on principles of separation and checks and balances and has three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial.

Constitutional Status of Islamic Law

Islamic law has no constitutional status in Moldova.

Jurisdiction(s) of Islamic Law

Islamic law has no official jurisdiction of operation in Moldova.

Dominant School of Islamic Law

Moldova has no official school of Islamic law. 

Sources of Law for Legal Research

Official Publications

• Legislative
  
  • Parlamentul 
  • Monitorul oficial (official gazette)
• Executive
  • Government Portal
  • President
• Judicial
  • Curtea Supremă de Justiţie
  • Constitutional Court 

 Unofficial Databases

• FAOLEX: Moldova (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) database of national laws and regulations on food, agriculture, and renewable natural resources.
• NATLEX: Moldova (International Labour Organization) database of national laws on labor, social security, and related human rights.
• RefWorld Legal Information: Moldova (UNHCR)
• WIPO Lex: Moldova (World Intellectual Property Organization)

References:

For an extended list of legal resources for this country, see the Library of Congress’s Research Guide, and for a narrative review, see the GlobaLex Foreign Law Research Guide (most updated version, where available). The Constitution is available in the LOC Guide in its original language and at Constitute in English translation. For full versions of past constitutions, amendments, and related legislation, see HeinOnline World Constitutions Illustrated or Oxford Constitutions of the World [subscription required for each].