Moldova’s parliament has approved a 60-day state of emergency for energy and water supplies, granting the government accelerated powers to build reserves and arrange imports before winter.
Lawmakers adopted the measure on Tuesday by 54 votes to 20, with 22 deputies not voting. It takes effect on September 26.
Prime Minister Vasile Tofan told parliament that the government needed authority to act before shortages became acute. Moldova imports most of its energy and remains exposed to disruptions in neighboring Ukraine, whose electricity exports have helped stabilize supply despite repeated attacks on its infrastructure.
The government also pointed to unusually low levels in the Dniester and Prut rivers, which support water supplies for many Moldovan cities. The emergency framework is intended to speed purchasing, stock management and other preventive measures that would ordinarily move through slower procedures.
Opposition lawmakers argued that the declaration gives the executive insufficiently constrained power. That concern will shape scrutiny of any orders issued under the emergency law: the parliamentary vote authorizes exceptional action, but it does not remove requirements of necessity, proportionality and legal accountability.
The declaration is prospective rather than a finding that supplies have already failed. President Maia Sandu called for the measure after a meeting of senior officials on Monday. The government says conditions have improved over the past two months but cannot be assumed to hold through winter.
Parliament of the Republic of Moldova
