Union of Bessarabia With Romania - The Union Act

The Union Act

On April 9 1918, Sfatul Țării decided with 86 votes for, 3 against and 36 abstaining, for union with the Kingdom of Romania, conditional upon the fulfillment of agrarian reform, local autonomy, and respect for universal human rights. This was in spite of the fact that the national referendum necessary under the law had not taken place.

The county councils of Bălți, Soroca and Orhei were the earliest to ask for unification with the Kingdom of Romania, and on April 9 1918, Sfatul Țării voted in favour of the union, with the following conditions:

1. Sfatul Țării would undertake an agrarian reform, which would be accepted by the Romanian Government.
2. Bessarabia would remain autonomous, with its own diet, Sfatul Țării, elected democratically
3. Sfatul Țării would vote for local budgets, control the councils of zemstvos and cities, and name the local administration
4. Conscription would be done on a territorial basis
5. Local laws and the form of administration could be changed only with the approval of local representatives
6. The rights of minorities had to be respected
7. Two Bessarabian representatives would be part of the Romanian government
8. Bessarabia would send to the Romanian Parliament a number of representatives equal to the proportion of its population
9. All elections must involve a direct, equal, secret, and universal vote
10. Freedom of speech and of belief must be guaranteed in the constitution
11. All individuals who had committed felonies for political reasons during the revolution would be amnestied.