Declaration on the Administrative-Territorial Reform. The Baraboi Case: Citizens Were Consulted, but Their Will Risks Being Ignored

Citizens Were Consulted, but Their Will Risks Being Ignored

The Civic Movement “Building Trust” publishes a declaration regarding the case of Baraboi village, Dondușeni District, which raises a serious issue for the entire administrative-territorial reform: citizens are consulted, but the law does not oblige local authorities to respect the will expressed by the community.

According to the documents presented by community representatives, on 13 June 2026, a general assembly of citizens took place in Baraboi to discuss the options for voluntary amalgamation. A total of 260 people participated in the assembly.

The community clearly expressed its position:

– it rejected amalgamation with Frasin village;
– it rejected amalgamation with Târnova village;
– it unanimously supported amalgamation with Mihăileni village.

Subsequently, on 22 June 2026, the Local Council established a working group and, according to the information presented by the community, initiated the process in line with the decision expressed by citizens.

However, on 30 June 2026, the Local Council was convened again, and according to the information and documents submitted to the Civic Movement “Building Trust”, the option of amalgamation with Târnova village was put to a vote — an option previously rejected by citizens.

The Civic Movement “Building Trust” does not pronounce itself on the legality of these decisions. This falls within the competence of the authorized institutions and, where applicable, the courts.

However, the Baraboi case reveals a systemic problem: the current legal framework allows the will of the community to be treated merely as a consultative opinion, not as a democratic mandate.

Moreover, the methodology approved by Government Decision No. 925/2023 expressly provides that the local referendum on voluntary amalgamation is consultative, while the final decision belongs to the local council.

In other words, even when people are asked to express their view on the future of their locality, the law does not guarantee that their answer will be respected.

For this reason, the Civic Movement “Building Trust” calls on Parliament to amend the legislation on voluntary amalgamation so that:

– local council decisions are adopted in line with the result of the official community consultation;
– a new public consultation is organized whenever the authorities intend to adopt a solution different from the one supported by citizens;
– decisions adopted while ignoring the will of the community can be challenged and annulled;
– amalgamation decisions adopted against the expressed will of local communities are reviewed;
– draft decisions, adopted decisions and minutes are published transparently and within clear deadlines;
– the State Chancellery verifies cases where there are indications of transparency violations or disregard for citizens’ will.

The Baraboi case is not merely a local conflict. It is a warning signal for the entire administrative-territorial reform.

A reform cannot be called voluntary if people are consulted only for their answer to be ignored afterward.

If the state asks citizens what future they want for their community, then the citizens’ answer must matter.

The full text of the declaration can be found below.