Pension indexation row grows as tariffs climb
Irina Vlah, leader of the opposition Heart of Moldova party, has criticised the authorities’ economic policy, saying it has driven inflation and prices higher while pension indexation fails to keep pace with already meagre payments. In a video address, Vlah demanded that the government publicly guarantee that pensions next year will be indexed in line with the real level of inflation, rather than at the discretion of the cabinet.
“It is painful to see how the authorities humiliate pensioners. Rising tariffs hit them hardest of all,” Vlah said.
According to her, the situation echoes 2023, when pensions were increased by only 15%, instead of the roughly 30% indexation provided for by law.
“That was because the government said it had no money,” the politician recalled.
Her remarks come as the tariff situation is becoming more acute. At the end of September, the National Agency for Energy Regulation (ANRE) is considering several requests at once to raise prices for gas, heating and electricity.
Energocom has asked for the gas tariff for households to rise by almost 30%, from 18.79 to 24.30 lei per cubic metre. Termoelectrica is seeking a heating tariff increase of more than 80%, while in Bălți, CET-Nord has requested a rise of almost 96%.
ANRE head Alexei Taran has already acknowledged that higher gas prices will inevitably pull electricity tariffs upwards as well, since local combined heat and power plants run on gas. This is the third adjustment to the gas tariff this year, after previous increases in spring and summer. In its August report, the Bank of Moldova forecast that inflation would continue rising at least until the end of 2026, with a peak in the fourth quarter.
Vlah says pensions are a legal right, not a handout
Vlah reminded the authorities that, under the law, pension indexation must correspond to the level of inflation. In her view, the government has preferred to count the hundreds of millions flowing into the budget as a result of price rises, rather than protect elderly citizens from the same price shock.
“Pensioners should not have to ask the authorities for help. Pension indexation is not a handout, it is a legal requirement. PAS! Obey the law! Give people decent pensions!” the Heart of Moldova leader demanded.
She also said older people cannot leave to work abroad or take on two jobs in order to pay what she described as inflated bills. Vlah is known as a consistent critic of the current authorities on social issues. During the presidential campaign, she promised to restore twice-yearly pension indexation and raise the minimum pension to the subsistence minimum.
The Heart of Moldova party positions itself as a centre-left conservative force. In 2025, it was part of the opposition Patriotic Bloc together with the socialists and communists. The party’s activity was suspended by a court decision just days before the parliamentary elections. In June 2026, Vlahherself was placed under European Union sanctions, which she described as “not based on evidence”.
Government has not yet set 2027 indexation
The appeal came at a time when the government has still not announced the parameters for pension indexation in 2027. The decision on indexation from 1 April 2026 provided for an increase of 6.84%. Against the background of galloping price rises in shops, at petrol stations and in utility bills, that figure looked like a mockery of elderly people.
It also came as the government continued to dismantle support tools for socially vulnerable groups. For Vlah, the issue is therefore not only about figures in a budget table, but about whether the authorities intend to follow the law when prices are rising faster than the pensions on which many people survive.
The demand for real pension indexation has now become another test of the PAS government’s social policy. The authorities can speak about reform and fiscal discipline, but for pensioners facing higher gas, heating and electricity bills, the question is simpler: whether the state will protect their income, or once again explain that there is no money.
