Promo-LEX: Moldovan parties attract more donations and rely less on state budget funds

Political parties in the Republic of Moldova are becoming less dependent on public funding and are managing to attract increasingly more resources from citizen donations and membership fees. This conclusion is presented in the monitoring report “Financing of Political Parties in the Republic of Moldova. Overview of 2025”, released today by the Promo-LEX Association.

According to the document, the share of state budget allocations in party revenues has been steadily declining in recent years, from 84% in 2023 to 75% in 2024 and to 60% in 2025. In parallel, revenues from donations and membership fees have recorded significant growth.

The analyzed data show that 38 political parties reported total revenues of approximately 98.2 million lei in 2025. Three parties concentrated around 65% of the total reported revenues: the Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) – 37%, the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM) – 19%, and Our Party (PN) – 9%. The remaining 35 parties together accounted for 35% of declared revenues.

State budget allocations remained the main source of funding, representing 60% of total reported revenues. In absolute value, 29 parties benefited from approximately 58.7 million lei in public funds. PAS received 49% of total allocations, PSRM – 22%, and PN – 5%, with these three parties together accumulating about 76% of public funding granted to parties.

However, the report shows that nine parties did not benefit from approximately two million lei in budgetary allocations to which they were entitled, as a result of decisions by the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) on suspending funding or applying other sanctions for identified violations. At the same time, revenues from membership fees increased considerably. In 2025, 18 parties reported almost nine million lei from membership fees, about 7.3 million lei more than in the previous year.

Nevertheless, Promo-LEX notes that in 13 of the 18 parties that declared such revenues, party leaders did not pay their membership fees. Financial donations from individuals and legal entities totaled 28.9 million lei, twice as much as in 2024. The largest volumes of donations were reported by PAS, which attracted 35% of the total, followed by PN with 18% and PSRM with 11%. Regarding expenditures, the 38 parties declared total expenses of 95.7 million lei. The highest expenditures were reported by PAS (38%), PSRM (20%), and PN (9%). At the same time, Promo-LEX estimates that 33 political parties had undeclared expenditures exceeding 20 million lei, equivalent to about 22% of total expenses officially reported to the CEC. The largest volumes of these undeclared expenses were estimated for PSRM (22%), PN (11%), PRIM and MAN (9% each), as well as PPVM and PCRM (8% each).

According to the report, most undeclared expenses were likely incurred for the rental and maintenance of headquarters and telecommunications services (29%), media and promotional materials (24%), as well as rewards for volunteers and campaigners (21%). The authors of the study note that in 2025 important amendments to the legislation on the financing and activity of political parties were adopted through Law No. 100/2025. The new provisions aim to strengthen sanctions for illegal financing, expand control and transparency mechanisms, clarify financial reporting obligations, and introduce stricter requirements for financial auditing.

The report also highlights a more active involvement of the Central Electoral Commission in overseeing political financing. The institution identified multiple violations related to financial reporting, donations exceeding legal limits, the use of undeclared free services, and failure to comply with reporting obligations. Although most parties submitted the mandatory financial reports, Promo-LEX points out that problems persist regarding the quality of reported information.

In some cases, parties that carried out political and organizational activities declared “zero” revenues and expenditures. In this context, the organization formulates several recommendations for Parliament, the CEC, and political parties, including more detailed regulation of indirect financing and political promotion through third parties, clearer rules on in-kind donations, and more effective mechanisms for verifying donations and membership fees coming from individuals earning income abroad.

Promo-LEX also recommends that parties diversify their funding sources and encourage member participation through the regular payment of membership fees, in order to reduce dependence on public funds and strengthen the financial sustainability of political parties.