Moldova

Moldova

Right	Section	Contents
Freedom of Association	History	After its independence from the Soviet Union, Moldova ratified its constitution in 1994 and protected the right to freedom of association. Article 41 of the constitution states that all citizens “shall be free to associate in parties and other socio-political organizations” and outlines the freedom’s restrictions. (Moldova 1994). Moldova. “Moldova (Republic of) 1994 (rev. 2016)” Constitute 1994 https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Moldova_2016
Freedom of Expression	History	The Moldovan constitutional history is somewhat complex considering its historical association with the Soviet Union as a constituent of the USSR. In 1941, the Moldavian Socialist Republic adopted their first official constitution based on the 1936 Soviet Constitution. In Chapter X, Article 125 of the 1936 Soviet Constitution guarantees citizens of the U.S.S.R. “Freedom of speech; Freedom of the Press; Freedom of assembly and holding mass meetings; Freedom of street processions and demonstrations.” These rights were likely to have been the earliest official assertion of rights and liberties in the Moldavian Socialist Republic Constitution . Sources: “Constitutional History of Moldova.” n.d. ConstitutionNet. https://constitutionnet.org/country/moldova. Was not able to get a citation: https://www.marxists.org/history/ussr/government/constitution/1936/1936-constitution.pdf
Freedom of Religion	History	Constitution of the Republic of Moldova was ratified on 27 July 1994. Articles 10.2, 31, 32.3, and 35.8 grant religious freedom, equality, and prohibit religious discrimination. The preamble declares secular aspirations for the state of Moldova. Parliament of the Republic of Moldova. “Constitution of the Republic of Moldova .” Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova . Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova , 2022. Last modified 2022. Accessed June 21, 2022. https://www.constcourt.md/public/files/file/Actele%20Curtii/acte_en/MDA_Constitution_EN.pdf.
Freedom of the Press	History	Article 32 of Moldova’s 1994 Constitution protects press freedom as an element of freedom of expression: “Every citizen shall be guaranteed the freedom of thought and opinion, as well as the freedom of expression in public by way of word, image or any other means possible” (Președinția Republicii Moldova, “Titlul II. Drepturile, libertățile și îndatoririle fundamentale”). [Translated from Romanian]
Privacy Rights	History	Today, Articles 28-30 of the 1994 constitution protect privacy rights in Moldova. Article 28 grants privacy in private and family life, Article 29 in the home, and Article 30 in correspondence (Constitute Project, “Moldova 1994 rev. 2016” ). https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Moldova_ 2016? lang=en
Voting Rights and Suffrage	History	Under Article 38, all citizens who have attained 18 years of age have a right to suffrage unless prevented by law. Article 61 states that elections for the Parliament shall be elected by universal, direct, equal, secret, and freely expressed suffrage. Under Article 78, the President shall be elected by similarly run elections with a majority needed to become elected. If a majority is not found after the first ballot, a second ballot will be voted upon with the top two candidates to determine the winner. (Constitute Project, “Moldova’s (Republic of) Constitution of 1994 with Amendments through 2016” ).