Chisinau Budget Vote Fails for Third Time Amidst Political Standoff

Chisinau Budget Fails Again as PAS Councilors Stage Walkout Chisinau, Moldova – The third attempt to pass the 2025 municipal budget for Chisinau has failed, highlighting ongoing political tensions within the city council. On June 6th, 2025, councilors from the PAS party walked out of the session before the budget's presentation. This action mirrors a similar incident in December 2024. Zinaida Popa, head of the PAS faction, stated that they refuse to vote until their proposed amendments are incorporated into the budget. "As I've mentioned before," Popa explained in a video statement, "if the requests of the people who have contacted us are accepted, the PAS faction will vote for the budget." Mayor Ion Ceban responded by accusing PAS of engaging in political games and misleading citizens. "They never intended to vote on the budget; they were playing politics," Ceban asserted. The proposed budget includes 8.797 billion lei in revenue, with 4.527 billion coming from state transfers, and 9.427 billion in expenses. The budget balance is slightly above 630 million lei. The General Directorate of Finance is responsible for the proposal. The city operated under a provisional budget for half of last year, passed only at the end of July. The ongoing stalemate prevents the city from finalizing its financial plan for 2025.