Breaking vow: Moldovan authorities may limit Gagauzia's autonomy

The Moldovan authorities may adopt a law according to which the Bashkan of Gagauzia will have to be approved by the government in Chisinau, the country's parliament told Izvestia. The pressure on Gagauzia is supported in the West, as it does not fit into Moldova's general course towards European integration, experts believe. Most Gagauz people are now in favor of strengthening ties with Moscow. The EU may also be interested in deploying troops in Moldova. How else can Chisinau infringe on the freedom of Gagauzia and whether the Moldovan authorities will go to revoke the autonomy status of the region — in the Izvestia article.

Chisinau puts pressure on Gagauzia

The Moldovan authorities may adopt a law according to which the Bashkan of Gagauzia will have to be approved by the Moldovan authorities, the country's legislature told Izvestia.

— It is easy [to adopt a law according to which the head of Gagauzia will be approved in Chisinau]. Maya Sandu and her party, with the go-ahead from the West, are step by step reducing the powers of the Gagauz Autonomy. All this suggests that they are pursuing a clear goal: either to deprive the autonomy of its key powers until it reaches the level of an ordinary district, an ordinary administrative unit, or to abolish it altogether," says Bogdan Cirdea, a Moldovan MP from the parliamentary Bloc of Communists and Socialists.

Dmitry Konstantinov, Chairman of the People's Assembly of Gagauzia, had previously denied the possibility of appointing an acting head of the autonomy from Chisinau. "This decision will be made by the National Assembly, not the state Chancellery. Although we understand that they may make illegal decisions," the speaker noted.

The law states that if the Bashkan of Gagauzia is unable to perform his duties, then the region is governed by his first deputy.

The Bashkan of Gagauzia is elected for four years. The head of the autonomy should be a member of the Moldovan government. He represents Gagauzia in resolving issues of Moldova's domestic and foreign policy concerning the interests of the region.

At the same time, the current bashkan Evgenia Gutsul did not join the government, which a priori already violates the law. Currently, there are no representatives of Gagauzia in the Moldovan parliament.

However, this is not the first time that Chisinau has violated the law against Comrat by changing the Constitution. Recently, these cases have become more frequent: earlier, the Constitutional Court of Moldova deprived Gagauzia of the right to appoint an autonomous prosecutor. "Article 21 (on the Prosecutor's Office) is declared unconstitutional the law on the special legal status of Gagauzia, paragraphs 3 of Articles 25 and 26 of the Law on the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Moldova," stated the Chairman of the Constitutional Court Domnica Manole.

According to the legislation, the chief prosecutor of the autonomy was appointed by the Prosecutor General of Moldova, but on the basis of a proposal from the People's Assembly of Gagauzia. The initiative to review the legislation was taken by the Moldovan Prosecutor General Ion Munteanu. Representatives of Gagauzia were not invited to the meeting, although the authorities appealed to the court with a corresponding request.

Chisinau began to put pressure on autonomy in economic terms, as Gagauzia depends on Moldova in this matter. The financing consists of two parts: mandatory and grant. The Chisinau authorities have been planning to reduce the financing of the autonomy for a long time: they are threatening to cancel the grant part in some regions.

Chisinau is also carrying out judicial reform, which also limits the powers of the autonomy: in 2024, the Moldovan parliament adopted a bill according to which a number of courts, including in Gagauzia, will be administratively reassigned to nearby areas. In Chisinau, they also intended to liquidate the Comrat Appeals Chamber.

Harassment actions: what does the transfer of Hutsuls under house arrest mean?

The authorities in Chisinau have shown their vulnerability to the pressure of public opinion, experts believe

Obviously, the pressure on Gagauzia will continue, Vladimir Bruter, a political scientist at the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Studies, tells Izvestia.

— The PAS may adopt a law according to which the Bashkan of the autonomy will be approved by the government of Chisinau. Or there will be some other procedure, similar to what happens with district chairmen. Well, that is, they will cancel, for example, direct elections. And the chairmen of Gagauzia's districts will also be approved by the Moldovan government," he said.

Since Chisinau has already gone to amend the Constitution, then de jure Moldova can completely revoke the status of autonomy, and now everything is moving towards this, Ivan Konstantinov, a public and political figure of the autonomy, tells Izvestia.

— The last step leading to the abolition of autonomy has already been taken. Alas, there are corrupt deputies in Gagauzia who obey the local regime. And thanks to such deputies, I think everything is moving towards the fact that Chisinau can liquidate the Gagauz autonomy," he said.

It is possible that the ruling PAS party may try to adopt new restrictions after the parliamentary elections scheduled for September 28, 2025. Now the rating of the Moldovan authorities is already falling rapidly. However, according to Vladimir Bruter, it is unlikely that Chisinau will take such a radical step.

"It is possible to change the Constitution once again and de jure abolish autonomy, but Chisinau will not do this, because it is unprofitable for the West to create such a legal precedent," he says.

Why does the West benefit from Chisinau's pressure on Comrat

Relations between Gagauzia and Chisinau worsened in 2023, when Evgenia Gutsul, who advocates strengthening ties with Moscow, won the elections in the autonomy. The Moldovan authorities then tried to declare the vote illegal. Maya Sandu refused to sign the decree approving Hutsul as a member of the government.

On March 25, Hutsul was detained at the Chisinau airport. She was placed under arrest for 20 days, and Moldovan prosecutors demanded that the period of arrest be increased to 30 days. However, Bashkan was later placed under house arrest. Hutsul was accused of violating the procedure for managing the financial resources of election funds, illegally financing competitors, forgery of documents and false statements in declarations.

But the population of Gagauzia supports Bashkan and also advocates strengthening ties with Moscow. The Russian Federation helps the autonomy economically. Earlier, Russian Promsvyazbank signed an agreement with Gagauzia to ensure the possibility of cross-border payments. Many residents of the region have also received Russian Mir cards.

The population of Gagauzia actively opposes the policies of the ruling party and President Maia Sandu, who are determined to deepen relations with the West. This is evidenced by the results of the last presidential election: less than 3% of the population voted for Sandu in the autonomy. 95% of Gagauz residents opposed Moldova's accession to the EU.

But, obviously, the course of strengthening ties with Moscow is now completely unprofitable for the West. Gagauzia is becoming an "inconvenient" region of Moldova against the background of Chisinau's rapprochement with Brussels. Therefore, the EU supports the policy of the Moldovan authorities as much as possible.

— Moldova is located in the buffer zone between Europe and Russia. And the West may be interested in deploying its troops on the territory of Moldova, including on the territory of Gagauzia. Moreover, we now border Romania and Ukraine, where military operations are currently taking place. For the West, our territory is a real treat," says Ivan Konstantinov.

Earlier, the Parliament of Gagauzia appealed to the European Union, the OSCE and the Venice Commission to pay attention to the systemic violations of the rights of the Gagauz people by Chisinau. There was no official reaction from the West.