What voluntary amalgamation is
Voluntary amalgamation means that several localities decide, of their own will, to join into a single administrative-territorial unit — with one town hall and one council. Nobody compels anybody: the choice belongs to the community, expressed through the vote of the local councils.
In 2025 the inhabitants of the villages of Călinești, Chetriș and Hîncești chose exactly this road. That is how Călinești commune, Fălești district, came into being — the first commune formed by voluntary amalgamation in the Republic of Moldova, with the village of Călinești as its administrative centre. Each village keeps its name, its traditions and its identity; only the administration is joined, so that the three localities are stronger together.
The villages of the commune
The clover in the commune's coat of arms stands for the three villages that joined, its shapes drawn from the course of the river Prut.
Călinești
The seat of the town hall, the „Gh. Vrabie" gymnasium, two kindergartens, the house of culture, the library and the volunteer fire station.
Chetriș
The kindergarten, the public library and a CUPS desk serving citizens.
Hîncești
The „Albinuța" kindergarten, the cultural centre, the public library and a CUPS desk.
Why we merged
The reorganisation pursues three concrete aims for the inhabitants of the three villages.
Administration that works better
A single administration manages resources better, cuts duplicated spending and takes coordinated decisions for all three villages.
Better public services
CUPS desks in Chetriș and Hîncești, services closer to the citizen, and investment in kindergartens, roads, lighting and water.
More funding and investment
A larger commune is better able to attract national and European funding and to carry out development projects.
How the commune came about
The amalgamation was carried out under Law no. 225/2023 on the voluntary amalgamation of administrative-territorial units. The local councils of the villages of Călinești, Chetriș and Hîncești approved the union into a single commune by their own decisions.
- 2025 — the decisions of the local councils of Călinești, Chetriș and Hîncești on the voluntary amalgamation.
- 2025 — the founding of Călinești commune, with the village of Călinești as its administrative centre.
- 16 November 2025 — new local elections for the new commune.
- The communal council elected — 13 councillors, term 2025–2027.
See the administrative structure of the commune — the council, the mayor and the town hall’s staff — on the City hall page.
Frequently asked questions about the merger
Călinești, Chetriș and Hîncești chose together to form a single commune. Here are clear answers to the questions asked most often.
The three villages — Călinești, Chetriș and Hîncești — decided, by the vote of their local councils, to join into a single commune. It is the first voluntary amalgamation in the Republic of Moldova: nobody was compelled, the choice belonged to the community.
No. Each village keeps its name, its traditions, its patron-saint feast and its history. Amalgamation joins the administration, so that we are stronger together — it erases no village’s identity. The clover in the commune’s coat of arms stands for precisely those three united villages.
Your right of ownership is unchanged. Amalgamation does not affect property titles, land shares or lease contracts. Your documents remain valid exactly as before.
No. The services in each village carry on. The purpose of amalgamation is the opposite: with access to more funding, we want to strengthen those services — one example is the thermal insulation of the kindergarten in Chetriș, finished recently.
No. The budget and the projects are spread across all three villages. In Hîncești, for instance, inhabitants gathered 20,610 lei through participatory budgeting for their own projects, and the „The mayor in the village” meetings are held in every locality. Călinești is only the administrative centre, where the town hall has its seat.
To the town hall in Călinești, or to the CUPS desks in Chetriș and Hîncești — you no longer need to travel to Fălești. See the full list on the Services page, with the documents and the deadlines for each one.
You will find the decisions on the Transparency page, on the Facebook page and on the notice boards in the villages. You can take part in public consultations, in hearings, in participatory budgeting and in the meetings with the mayor held in every village.
Have a question you cannot find answered here? Write to us, or come to the desk — we will gladly answer.