Government Secretary General Alexei Buzu says that 63% of Moldova’s mayors’ offices have decided to pursue voluntary amalgamation. The government plans to provide financial incentives worth around 4.5 billion lei to support the reform.
Speaking at a press conference on September 2, Buzu said that 254 local public authorities that have not decided to pursue amalgamation will undergo a statutory procedure. According to the official, Moldova is expected to have only 292 mayors’ offices next year, down from nearly 900 currently.
“At present, Moldova has 892 mayors’ offices. Of these, 890 can initiate and complete the voluntary amalgamation process. The Chisinau City Hall and Balti City Hall cannot do so. We also have 776 mayors’ offices where the population is below 3,000 residents. Over the past 10 years, the population in these 776 mayors’ offices has fallen by 32%, while nationally, the number of citizens has decreased by 14%. We also have 26 mayors’ offices in Gagauzia, 15 of which have fewer than 3,000 residents. What do we have at the moment? Sixty-three percent of the mayors’ offices in our country, or 561, have made final decisions,” Buzu said.
The official also noted that eight out of 10 families without access to water and sewage services live in communities with fewer than 3,000 residents.
Asked what the government would do if the financial incentives provided after amalgamation proved insufficient, Buzu said that the main goal of the reform is to strengthen the capacity of local public authorities.